Literature

A Celebrated Texas Author and the Indie Bookstores That Sustained Him

From McAllen to Austin, indie bookstores have provided Fernando A. Flores with far more than just reading material.

I Think a Crime Bookstore Is the Best in Texas, So Stab Me

Houston’s Murder by the Book serves up bloodshed with a smile.

A Writer Revisits His Search for His Grandfather’s Darkest Secrets

Author John Phillip Santos’s 2010 “Tejano elegy” explores family secrets that reveal “the deepest mysteries of being human.”

Author John Graves Was a Literary Godfather to Texas Monthly

The author of Goodbye to a River and two-time National Book Award finalist helped create the magazine’s Country Notes column.

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The Lone Bookstore in a Town With No Library

Heidi Frazier opened 40 Acre Wood over ten years ago with a mission to make books accessible to any and all readers in the small town of Lexington.

Top Dog: An Oral History of ‘Wishbone’

The kids’ television program, helmed by a crop of Texan theatrical talents, landed on PBS 25 years ago.

Q&A With Author Elizabeth McCracken: “Austin Is a City of Books As Much As Music”

The award-winning writer and UT professor talks about her new novel, 'Bowlaway,' and how teaching and Texas have affected her work.

The First Resident of Belken County

When the National Book Critics Circle gave the Austin writer Rolando Hinojosa its lifetime achievement award, it was simply taking note of what many of us had known for years.

Cormac Relief

Will Cormac McCarthy’s films tarnish his literary reputation?

“Cormac McCarthy” Twitter Account Debunked in Record Time

But “@cormaccmccarthy” still has more than 3,200 followers.

Which Books Have Texas ISDs Banned?

The ACLU's annual report says there are fewer than ever, but such authors as Twain, Hemingway and Salinger still get "challenged" in some ISDs.

Fightin’ Words: Larry McMurtry v. the People of Marfa

The grumpy Texas literary legend rips the Texas art and music mecca in his review of a new book about Elizabeth Taylor, calling Marfa "as bleak a place as you'll find in America." 

Cotton Tale

Long before Lonesome Dove and other cattle-culture classics defined Texas for the world, Hold Autumn in Your Hand—a novel that wasn’t about cowboys or Longhorns—won critical acclaim. With good reason.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Next Cormac McCarthy

Meet El Paso novelist James Carlos Blake, who writes critically acclaimed literary westerns with lots of violence but few female characters. Sound familiar?

Pup Culture

Thanks to his penchant for classic literature, Wishbone is the new top dog in kids’ entertainment.

Basking in It

If the literary novel is dead, then why is Baskerville Publishers in Dallas flourishing?

Moving Pictures

Texas Primer: The Texas Institute of Letters

Belonging to this literary club is a lot like becoming a Texan; you can be a newcomer for only so long.