Western Star: The Life and Legends of Larry McMurtry
Discover the life behind one of the most influential storytellers of the American West in Western Star, a biography of Pulitzer Prize–winning author and screenwriter Larry McMurtry.
Raised on his family’s ranch in rural Texas, McMurtry grew from a ranch kid surrounded by cowboy stories into the celebrated writer behind Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, and other enduring works. Over the course of his career, he published forty books, won the Pulitzer Prize for Lonesome Dove, and earned an Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay adaptation of Brokeback Mountain.
Written by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and longtime McMurtry friend David Streitfeld, Western Star draws on archival research and interviews to explore the complicated man behind the stories. The biography follows McMurtry’s connections to ranching, Texas, Hollywood, bookselling, and the writers, actors, and other notable figures who became part of his life.
Readers will discover:
- McMurtry’s upbringing on a rural Texas ranch
- The story behind the writer of Lonesome Dove and The Last Picture Show
- His career as a novelist, screenwriter, and bookseller
- His complicated relationship with cowboy mythology and the American West
- Stories from his friendships and relationships in literary and Hollywood circles
- A closer look at the life behind one of the West’s most recognized literary voices
For readers of Western literature, Texas history, and literary biography, Western Star offers an in-depth look at Larry McMurtry and the experiences that shaped his life and work.
- Publisher : Mariner Books
- Publication date : March 24, 2026
- Language : English
- Print length : 464 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0063234882
- ISBN-13 : 978-0063234888
- Item Weight : 1.32 pounds
- Dimensions : 10 x 2 x 2.7 inches