Texas Monthly Recommends: A Lesser-Known Larry McMurtry Book
Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen offers a glimpse at the author’s life in Archer City. Plus: a boxed wine club and food pop-ups in Houston and Austin.
April 23, 2021
Larry McMurtry at his bookstore, Booked Up, in Archer City.
Byrd M. Williams/UNT Libraries Special Collections/Portal to Texas History
In the days following Larry McMurtry’s passing, many Texas wrote heartfelt remembrances of the man and his work. The best, I thought, came from people recalling their trips to McMurtry’s hometown of Archer City, hoping to see him around town. Even in the versions of these that lacked an actual encounter with McMurtry, Archer City somehow still shone. During the month since McMurtry’s death, I’ve revisited some of his work to see how much of Archer City he left behind on the page. What did he say about the place while he was there? For the uninitiated, what would serve as the textbook for a crash course on Larry
How the Team Behind Better Half Became the Most Important Culinary Voice in the City
White Zombie, Lil Baby, and Trent Green broadcasting a Denver vs. Las Vegas NFL game are all competing to be heard over the perpetual cacophony on Rainey Street. It’s a chilly Sunday in November, and Austin’s most debaucherous enclave is flush with revelers taking advantage of the last hours of the weekend. Patios are at capacity, televisions blare from rooftops, and the pungent smell of cologne hangs heavy in the air. Minus the smattering of face masks, one would never know that the world is in the throes of a global pandemic.