Larry Jeff McMurtry

            Larry Jeff McMurtry was born on June 3rd, 1936, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He graduated from high school in Archer City. He grew up in a rural county. Him, his father, and eight of his uncles were all born on ranches in Texas and were taught the ways of a southerner when they were young children. This is why most of his novels are based on the life of a ranchers, cowboys, and are set in Texas.
             McMurtry earned his Bachelors degree from North Texas State College in 1958 and an Masters degree from Rice University in 1960. After this he studied at Stanford University in a writing program. When he left Stanford, McMurtry taught at Texas Christian University, Rice University, George Mason University, and American universities, all in ten years. In 1969 he moved to Washington, DC to focus on his writing. In 1970, motivated by his own experiences growing up "in a bookless region" he opened his chain of book stores named "Booked Up". The book stores were widely known for their rare, old, and out of print books. .
             McMurtry's novels focus on human relations. He is known for his realistic imagery of frontier life of the 1800s. McMurtry's first book, "Horseman, Pass By," was later turned into the movie "Hud," this started his novel's associations with the motion picture industry. His novel "Texasville" was also turned into a movie in 1987.Texasville is a good example of how his backround is constantly effecting his work. Texasville is about a young cattle rancher and his adventures on the prarie. His novel "The Last Picture Show," written in 1966 was made into a motion picture in 1971. This shows the effects of ranch life on the ordinary people of a small town. But this was not the end of his novel's involvement in motion pictures. His novels "Moving On," in 1970. "All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers" in 1972, and "Terms of Endearment" in 1975, were all eventually turned into motion pictures by 1983 .