Larry McMurtry

When Larry McMurtry's classic novel of the post-World War II era was originally published in 1961, it created a sensation in Texas literary circles. Never before had a writer portrayed the contemporary West in conflict with the Old West in such stark, realistic, unsentimental ways. Horseman, Pass By, on which the film Hud is based, tells the story of Homer Bannon, an old-time cattleman who epitomizes the frontier values of honesty and decency, and Hud, his unscrupulous stepson. Caught in the middle is the narrator, Homer's young grandson, Lonnie, who is as much drawn to his grandfather's strength of character as he is to Hud's hedonism and materialism. Memorable characters, powerful themes, and illuminating detail make Horseman, Pass By vintage McMurtry.

A Novel

Horseman, Pass By

Ryan LaFerney

Horseman, Pass By is the first Western novel written by the recently deceased American writer Larry McMurtry. It was published when he was just 25 in 1961. This modern western portrays life on a cattle ranch from the perspective of young narrator Lonnie Bannon. Set in post-World War II Texas (1954), the Bannon ranch is owned by Lonnie's grandfather, Homer Bannon. Homer's ruthless stepson, Hud, stands as the primary antagonist of the novel, who desires to inherit the ranch from Homer by any means. The novel inspired the film Hud, starring Paul Newman as the title character.

This novel helped to elevate the western from it's pulp status to one of literature. Horseman, Pass By is about many things: toxic masculinity (in the character of Hud), the influence of modernity on an old way of life and making a living, and it's a warm yet melancholy coming of age tale. Lonnie, our 17 year old teenage narrator - grows up quick on the ranch between Hud's cruelty and his grandfather's old-school ways yet he longs to escape his situation, to escape the small town Thalia. His grandfather Homer is portrayed as an aging, stubborn rancher who is attached to his way of life and does not want to let go of his ranch, despite Hud's forceful insistence and his sickly cattle. Hud - is a womanizer, a drunk, and the threat to Homer's way of life. He is our villian - who is consumed by greed and lust. At the end of the novel we are supposed to view Homer - in one pivotal scene - as if he too was just one of the sickly cattle on the ranch. And it is suggested that it is the humane thing to out him of his misery. Homer's way of life is strong-and can only be killed violently - so it is a fitting end that he meets.

Horseman, Pass By is a beautiful, violent, melancholy, atmospheric novel. It's a tough, nostalgic narrative of a young man growing up in Texas.

It's pure poetry. Larry McMurtry was a master of his craft.

Jeremy Anderberg

“I know there’s a lot of times when a man is helpless—I’ve been in plenty of ‘em. But a man’s got to go on and do what he can, that’s the only way he’s got a finding out whether he’s helpless or not.”

Written when McMurtry was just 25 years old, his first published novel is a bit bleak (go figure). Yet, it’s so wonderfully written that I couldn’t help but enjoy it. Homer Bannon is an old-time cowboy; Lonnie and Hud are diametrically opposed new-timers; and a case of hoof-and-mouth sets off a series of changes that impacts just about everything and everyone in little Thalia, Texas. There are few happy moments, honestly, but the feeling McMurtry evokes, as would become his calling card, just can’t be replicated. Well worth the 170 pages and few hours of your attention.

La cabina estaba en penumbra, y la luz del salpicadero dibu­jaba sombras en su rostro de tal modo que, cuando lo miré y vi cómo se calaba el gastado sombrero de paja con la vista en la carretera, me recordó a alguien muy querido por mí; me recordó a todas las personas que conocía. Publicada en 1961, Hud, el salvaje es la primera novela de Larry McMurtry. En ella escenifica el conflicto entre los valores del viejo Oeste y los de una nueva generación materialista y sin escrúpulos. Homer Bannon, anciano ganadero que encarna los nobles principios de honestidad y decencia de la Frontera, tiene que enfrentarse a la arrogancia y egoísmo de su hijastro Hud. Lonnie, su nieto, nos va contando todo cuanto observa en el rancho familiar, situado a veinte millas de la ciudad más cercana, Thalia. McMurtry nos regala aquí un retrato de los años cincuenta del Texas más profundo, poblado de personajes inolvidables. Con un estilo vívido e ingenioso, el mismo que ilumina todas sus novelas, el autor redefine en esta obra la imagen del vaquero en la literatura.

Horseman, Pass By A Novel

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