Elmer Kelton (1926-2009)
By: TW Editors 08/24/2009
Our dear friend and world-renowned Western writer, Elmer Kelton, passed away on Saturday morning, August 22. The seven-time Spur winner (among other prestigious awards) is best known for his Western works, including The Day the Cowboys Quit, The Time It Never Rained and The Good Old Boys.
Please join us in sharing your memories of Elmer Kelton the man, your favorite quotes from his novels, even your first experience of reading Kelton. Add your thoughts in the comment box below. We would appreciate it if you sign into our site with your full name and current e-mail address, should we need to contact you about your anecdote. We hope to share some of your stories in a tribute to Elmer in a future issue of True West.
The first anecdote to hit our desk this morning comes from The New Yorker.
Thank you for sharing your stories with all of us.
The Editors of True West Magazine
Comments (6)
Elmer Kelton was one of the most humble and sincere people I have ever met. He always made time for his fans and appreciated the esteem in which we all held him. He was a wonderful storyteller and a true gentleman.
-Marley Brant
I only discovered Elmer Kelton in the last year. I have not been much of a reader of western fiction, however, Mr. Kelton was a great author and western fiction or ant other kind of fiction his work is some of the best available. I look forward to more enjoyment since I have only read a handful of his many novels.
Steve Barringer
I just fininshed reading Captain's Rangers. This is the first book by Elmer Kelton that I have read, and it won't be the last. I'm saddn'd to read of his passing, but know that he will live on in his truely great stories. Rest in Peace. Michael J. McRae, michael.jmcrae@yahoo.com.
Elmer Kelton was a true wordsmith. His books were more than mere "westerns", the were and always will be pieces of great American Literature. The world has lost one of the greatest writers of all time. His like will never be seen again.
Mark Robeson
Glendale Az
Having read Kelton's novels over a long period, I found him even more interesting the last years. The historical side of his novels and the knowledge on the life, horses and all the small details of the old west, makes him one of the greatest. He deserves the Pulitzer Prize if I could vote for that.
Very sad to learn the news. In recent years, Elmer Kelton was one of my favorite authors. His prose was straightforward and sincere and he wrote with real love about Texas and the people who lived there over the centuries. He had a good ear for how people speak and humor was rarely absent from his work. Farewell to one of America's greatest Western writers.
- Mark Mellon
Post A Comment