True Grit & More -Charles Portis
Portis “could be Cormac McCarthy if he wanted to, but he’d rather be funny,”
Charles Portis (1933-2020) is now part of the Library of America.1
The Library of America
Being selected for the Library of America canonizes an author.2 Publication of an author in the Library of America means there will be articles and books about the author and maybe criticism of the author selected. Each volume contains a scholarly introduction and notes, with a chronology of the author’s life and work.
Every year since 1982, a half dozen or so new volumes have appeared, containing the work not only of novelists and poets, but of essayists, historians, philosophers, and statesmen as well. 3 Footnote is a link to the authors chosen for the Library of America A-Z.4
Charles Portis is a funny Cormac McCarthy
In five novels published over twenty-five years, Portis refined a signature deadpan style in plots full of picaresque adventure, unforgettable characters, and rich humor.5
Charles Portis was born in El Dorado, Arkansas and died in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Portis wrote 5 novels: Norwood | True Grit | The Dog of the South | Masters of Atlantis | Gringos.
Two of his novels were made into movies, Norwood and True Grit. fellow Arkansans Glen Campbell and Kim Darby had leading roles in the two films.
Portis was elusive.6 He got little attention as a writer during his lifetime.7
Inclusion of Charles Portis in the Library of America means coverage in the fancy magazines.8
Portis Charles and Jay Jennings. 2023. Collected Works : Norwood ; True Grit ; the Dog of the South ; Masters of Atlantis ; Gringos ; Stories & Other Writings. New York: Library of America, 2023.
Library of America (LOA) is a non-profit organization (founded 1979) ‘dedicated to publishing, and keeping in print, authoritative editions of America’s best and most significant writing’. LOA was inspired by scholars concerned that landmarks of US literature, particularly authoritative editions, were out of print. Funding from the *National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation launched the series; the first volumes were published in 1982. All titles are to be in print permanently, on acid-free paper with flexible binding boards of a size considered ideal for reading. LOA texts are assigned to scholars or experts who trace the work’s printing and publishing history.
Hurley, C. “Rescuing America’s Literary Heritage: The Story of the Library of America.” Publishing Research Quarterly 12, no. 4 (1996): 36–49.
Norwood | True Grit | The Dog of the South | Masters of Atlantis | Gringos | stories & other writings
Gilbreath, Aaron. “A String of Maybes: Speculating the Elusive Charles Portis.” The Gettysburg Review 24, no. 2 (2011): 315–328.
Ed Park,- Like Cormac McCarthy, But Funny (archive.org)—”LIKE CORMAC MCCARTHY, BUT FUNNY CHARLES PORTIS, AUTHOR OF TRUE GRIT, GOT JOHN WAYNE HIS ONLY OSCAR. HE ONCE HAD KARL MARX’S OLD GIG (AS THE LONDON BUREAU CHIEF FOR THE NEW YORK HERALD-TRIBUNE). HE’S WRITTEN FOUR OTHER NOVELS, THREE OF THEM MASTERPIECES, THOUGH WHICH THREE IS UP FOR DEBATE. HERE’S 7,000 WORDS ABOUT A GUY YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF. BUT SHOULD, WE SAY.” The Believer. March 2003.
Cep, Casey (April 17, 2023). "The Oddballs and Odysseys of Charles Portis" The New Yorker.
I think that K. McCook is obviously showing great intelligent commitment and, through that, a great job that's much appreciated.
Hey, i gotta check him out. Thanks! And some read Milton’s satan as the hero of the piece.... including Byron. Not sure the same argument can be made about the judge... there’s something so dark in that sketch then kill thing he does.