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Horseman, Pass By : A Novel
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Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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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.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780684853857
ISBN: 068485385X
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: 2002-07-02
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
Welcome To Thalia -
I will concede that I have been on something of tear concerning the works of Larry McMurtry lately. That is just the way I operate when I find that rare novelist that "speaks" to me. Gore Vidal, the great American historical novelist, is another whose works you will be seeing reviewed more in this space. That said, the particular purpose here is to compare McMurtry's Horseman, Pass By with Hud, the cinematic version of this novel, that starred the recently deceased Paul Newman, a very talented actor from my youth as a misbegotten, angry modern cowboy (although a cinematic heart throb in those days) I, frankly, like to make such comparisons to see how close the film comes to the novel.
Some films, as I recall from an article that Joan Didion wrote in The New York Review of Books concerning one of her books, move very far away from the author's intent. That happened in her case and she had to abandon the screenwriting of the film version of one of her books in the interest of her own artistic integrity. Some cinematic presentations, even more egregiously, pay bare homage to their source. That occurred in Ernest Hemingway's To Have and To Have Not. Here the situation is something of a happy mix between the need to highlight the 1960's blue-eyed heart throb Newman's role as the errand, self-centered cowboy "angel" Hud and the coming of age story of his teenage nephew Lonnie Bannon that McMurtry is trying to portray here.
Naturally, as McMurtry's intent is to show not only the ruthless way that the modern cowboy, Hud, has to deal with the world in order to survive but the vagaries of his nephew Lonnie's coming of age in rural West Texas in the 1950's (in the mythical town of Thalia, the scene of more than one of his efforts) the screenwriting must reflect director Martin Ritt's concerns to keep the story moving. Thus the book, unlike the movie, concentrates not on the action of the various events at the ranch (the problem with the cattle that have to be destroyed) and small town life (the booze, dances and Last Picture Show movie house) that drive the film but the sheer struggle against loneliness and meaningless that every teenager goes through but more so here out on the range. Those feelings, described by McMurtry so well here (and in The Last Picture Show) do not translate well onto the screen.
There are a number of other characters and events in the book that do not make it to the screen. The family relationship between Grandpa Homer Bannon and Hud is different (although the generational tensions are still present). Grandma Bannon is still alive (as Homer's second wife and Hud's mother) and the housekeeper is black not white like in the film. Needless to say Newman's sexual assault of the housekeeper (played by Patricia Neal) in the early 1960's era film subject to more taboos than today is much less graphic than in the book. But a good suggestion here is to watch the film for the performances of Newman, Neal and Melvyn Douglas (as Grandpa Homer) AND read this novel. This is McMurtry's first effort at being the "king" of Texas story tellers (New West version and Old West version as well). The pair of efforts compliment each other. That is a rare feat.
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He ain't got no slowdown to him -
I have not seen the movie, so the differences in the story don't concern me (though from what I read about it, the fact that the racist angle was taken out is culturally significant). The title of the book was somehow familiar, but I had no clear idea who LMM is. Then I bought the book after recommendation by the Emperor, and found out that I am quite familiar with the writer, only I never memorized the name. However the aquaintance is from movies: Brokeback Mountain, Terms of Endearment, Last Picture Show. A good reference list.
The book is a lesson in efficient story telling. Calling it a Western evokes images of cowboys, rodeos, fights between men about everything under the sun, but in first place about property and in second place about women. And then we think of country and weather, mostly of the dry variety, and of animals: cattle, horses, rattlers, vultures, bullfrogs.
This is all there, but the idea is also misleading.
We are actually in a multiple conflict zone: between generations, between individuals and the government, between races, between master and servant. This is a story from the world of work on a ranch, and the work process is central. It is not a romantic novel, but one from the world of industry.
The plot centers on a man's fight against fate and age. He is not a quitter, but Foot and Mouth Disease is a rancher's version of a disastrous epidemic. And a young rival without scruples is a bad match for an octogenarian.
If I may look for something mildly critical to say: the narration is not trying hard to build suspense. It is oddly aloof. The narrator is strangely absent despite his multiple involvement: he is not taking sides. He is a young man of 17 without real emotions, it seems.
Don't Pass This Book By -
In 1961 Larry McMurtry's debut, HORSEMAN, PASS BY, would revitalize the image of the cowboy in literature. With the release of the movie HUD (starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal) two years later, it would be the first of many McMurtry stories to be adapted to film.
HUD was a big success: Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal both won Oscars, while Paul Newman's performance in the title role is considered to be one of his finest. Over the years the novel has unfortunately become somewhat obscure, being searched for mostly by those who are fans of the film. But, as is usually the case, book and movie differ significantly in a variety of ways.
Exemplified in the antagonism between the stoic and hardworking Homer Bannon and the arrogant and amoral Scott "Hud" Bannon, HORSEMAN, PASS BY and HUD both present a stark and unsentimental account of the Old West losing ground to the modern world. Nevertheless, McMurtry's novel is less willing to compromise with its message that there are those of us who are simply bad people.
While the movie naturally focuses on its namesake-character, utilizing a handsome and charming Paul Newman to portray him as a deeply flawed but ultimately misunderstood antihero, McMurty's book reads from the perspective of Homer's 17 years old grandson, Lonnie, who witnesses the demise of his grandfather's life and everything the old man spent 80 years of hard work and patience to build. Despite a teenaged boy's likely envy for the older man's independence and easy way with women, Lonnie is mature enough to see little good in Hud. He shows Hud for the swaggering, self-serving, mean-spirited bully that he is. Lonnie knows Hud despises Homer, and realizing that their isn't much he can do about it. So, while Hud spends his time beating up on smaller and weaker men or bedding down married women, Lonnie works hard with his grandfather and a ranch hand named Jesse, admiring and learning from their life experiences. Except for these men, Lonnie's only regular company was the Bannons' young black housekeeper, Halmea.
One important aspect of this book was the situation for blacks--and especially young black women--in 1950s Texas. HUD conveniently sidestepped this issue by turning the black woman Halmea into the hillbilly Alma who was played by Patricia Neal. HORSEMAN'S Halmea is as upfront and outspoken as HUD's Alma. But there the similarities mostly end. Where Alma is middle-aged, hard bitten and tired of men's ways, Halmea is younger, vivacious and attractive. She and Lonnie are relatively close, having whatever friendship the Texas of that time would allow to a white teenager and his family's black housekeeper. While it's obvious that Lonnie is sexually attracted to Halmea, his youth and inexperience as much as her candor with such matters keeps him in check. Unfortunately--and tragically, the same can't be said for Hud. The movie might brim with sexual tension between Hud and Alma, but McMurtry's Halmea despises the man. Hud's evil and debased character is confirmed on the night he beats both Jesse and Lonnie into the ground and rapes Halmea. Afterwards, as he is zipping up, unable to resist any opportunity to further humiliate, he tells to expect this kind of treatment from now on. Halmea knows what's her only option and quits to leaves town the next day. As she explains to the cut and bruised Lonnie...What can she do? She can't stay, because Hud will only do it again. And she can't go to the police, because they will most likely arrest her saying a white man raped her.
No way was this storyline going to be made into a western-oriented motion picture in 1963 America.
Unlikely though it may be, I still would like to see HORSEMAN, PASS BY brought to the big screen once again, this time remaining true to McMurtry's original story. It is a marvelous book, deserving recognition that's equal with McMurtry's later work.
How The West Was Lost -
This great , first novel by Mr. McMurtry was the basis for the movie HUD. McMurtry captures the passing of the "Old West". The grandfather, Homer Bannon, is trying to hang on to a dying way of life. His stepson Hud is trying to force his will onto Homer. Lonnie, Homer's grandson, is caught in the middle. Mr. McMurtry paints the western landscape in manner that few writers can approach. If you have read Mr. McMurtry's later work, I encourage you to go back and pick up this slim gem of a book.
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Excellent first step -
McMurtry's first novel, it's a tough, nostalgic look at a cattle ranching family in the panhandle of Texas in the early 1950s. Lonnie Bannon narrates the story mainly of his grandfather, a tough old coot who owns the ranch and Hud, his wild half-brother. A disease breaks out with their cattle that forces them to slaughter the herd; the results have a devastating effect on both characters. Written before McMurtry's style took on the broad Dickensian humor of his later work, he manages to capture the place and the people very well and truthfully. A great start to a most illustrious career. [The movie HUD came from this book.]
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