Kent haruf is the author of five previous novels and, with the photographer peter brown, west of last chance. His father was a methodist preacher and the family moved frequently. Kent haruf was known for using simple, spare language to create stories of great depth. In the summer of 2014 haruf finished his last novel, our souls at night, which was published. The name rhymes with sheriff though the change did not seem to work as nobody says it right to this day. Haruf was born in pueblo, colorado, the son of a methodist minister.
Haruf writes about goodhearted people way off the beaten path trying to do the right thing. Our souls at night by kent haruf 9781447299356 booktopia. Kent haruf, acclaimed novelist of smalltown life, is dead. That proposition gets made on the third page of kent harufs our souls at night, the novel haruf completed just before dying last november at 71. He earned his bachelor of arts in literature from nebraska wesleyan university in 1965 and his masters of fine arts from the iowa writers workshop at the university of iowa in 1973. American author kent haruf, whose most recent novel benediction was shortlisted for the folio prize, has died aged 71. Kent haruf writes about small towns and regular people, but dont underestimate his ambition. Kent haruf 19432014 was an american author of literary fiction novels.
Kent harufs honors include a whiting foundation award and a special citation from the penhemingway foundation. A third novel in the series, benediction was published in 2014. Alan kent haruf february 24, 1943 november 30, 2014 was an american novelist. Kent haruf continues his cycle of novels set in the high plains of colorado, where a closeknit community is pushed to the brink. The author skillfully navigates emotional landscape. He served in the peace corps in turkey, teaching english as a second language.
If you want to be lifted up, read kent haruf books can. Kent haruf knew he was dying, but he felt well enough to attempt one more project. From the beloved and bestselling author of plainsong and eventide comes a story of life and death, and the ties that bind, once again set out on the high plains in holt, colorado. Readers of his novels plainsong, eventide and benediction know the place now, street by street, citizen by citizen. A shelf awareness best book of the year from the beloved and bestselling author of plainsong and eventide comes a story of life and death, and the ties. In the familiar setting of holt, colorado, home to all of kent harufs fiction, addie moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, louis waters. Following the astonishing plainsong and eventide, this is kent harufs third novel set in the imaginary landscape of holt, colorado. There is an elegant simplicity and beauty in the writing of kent haruf.
New york times truly showcases the novel as an art form. Kent haruf is the author of six novels and, with the photographer peter brown, west of last chance. Kent haruf s honors include a whiting foundation award and a special citation from the penhemingway foundation. Read conversations on our souls at night by kent haruf by dailybooks available from rakuten kobo. Although haruf was known worldwide for his bestselling novels, in salida he was mostly a beloved friend and mentor to many.
Benediction suggests theres no end to the stories haruf can tell about holt or to the tough, gorgeous language he can summon in the process. There is a deep, satisfying music to this book, as haruf weaves between such. Some of the characters from that first story return in major and minor roles. Kent haruf uses simple language to tell the story and the writing is perfection. Benediction plainsong series book 3 kindle edition by. The lives depicted are ordinary lives expressed with extraordinary compassion and understanding in how people think, feel, and experience their shared existence. Kent haruf is an awardwinning literary fiction novelist from pueblo, colorado. Bracing, sad and deeply illuminating, benediction captures the fullness of life by representing every stage of it, including its extinction, as well as the hopes and dreams that sustain us along the way. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Kent haruf 19432014 is the author of 6 novels including plainsong and our souls at night.
Benediction by kent haruf book club discussion questions. Kent haruf grew up on the high plains of northeastern colorado, where his novels are set. He was born in 1943 to louis hoerauf, a methodist preacher who changed the family name to haruf since he was frustrated that nobody seemed to get it right. In an interview in publishers weekly about benediction, haruf said. Benediction forms with plainsong and eventide a loose trilogy set in haruf s fictional town of holt, an imaginative landscape which is as vivid and powerful as those of cormac mccarthy and annie proulx. Plainsong by kent haruf overdrive rakuten overdrive. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. This is my very first book that i have read by kent haruf.
One of harufs critics describes harufs work as exalted. Their daughter, lorraine, hastens back from denver to help look after him. Set in kent harufs fictional landscape of holt county, colorado, plainsong is a story of simple lives told with extraordinary empathy. Editor and contributor will lead a panel discussion concerning this. Haruf s language and punctuation are so plain, the writing is nearly austere. It takes a considerable amount of courage for a woman of addies generation to invite a man she hardly knows to sleep in her bed. How does the modest action in our souls at night open onto larger insights about getting older. Her devotion softens the bitter absence of their estranged son, frank, but this cannot be willed away and remains a palpable presence for all three of them. Here kent haruf gives us his most indelible portrait yet of this small town and reveals, with grace and insight, the compassion, the suffering.
He tells us about ordinary people and everyday life in spare, beautiful language. Haruf, the bestselling novelist known for his quiet chronicles of smalltown. Benediction plainsong series book 3 kindle edition by haruf. Her husband died years ago, as did his wife, and in such a small town they naturally have known of each other for decades. As dad lays dying of a rare and aggressive form of cancer, he reflects on his. Salida resident and author kent haruf, 71, died peacefully at his home sunday. Benediction by kent haruf a root read, and as the third book in the plainsong trilogy, perfect for my series reading category as i continue to binge read my way through haruf s books.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Tom guthrie is struggling to bring up his two young sons alone and, in the same town, school girl victoria roubideaux is pregnant and homeless. Colorado author kent haruf has an extraordinary grasp of quiet. Nine years later we have harufs fifth novel, benediction. Eventide is a sequel to the 1999 plainsong, harufs wonderfully straighttalking debut novel about life and work in and around holt, colorado, a withering town long miles from denver and lightyears from the coasts. Perhaps haruf is contemplating a holt, colorado trilogy of novels. Youll find proof in his masterful new novel, benediction, a gentle but forceful rendering of protagonist dad lewis. Benediction by kent haruf overdrive rakuten overdrive. Holt, colorado, is a very ordinary little town invented by haruf for the setting of his three novels plainsong, eventide and benediction.
Buy a cheap copy of benediction book by kent haruf. Benediction ebook by kent haruf 9780307962157 rakuten kobo. In benediction, a fine contender for the inaugural folio prize, kent haruf s beautifully spare prose charts the events of that summer with unpretentious aplomb. Kent haruf again writes about the townspeople of the small town of holt, colorado. In recent months, he was a hospice patient an organization that he supported for many years. Its the kind of sleepy, unattractive little place that we have all read about in literature and seen portrayed in endless films. A shelf awareness best book of the year from the beloved and bestselling author of plainsong and eventide comes a story of life and death, and the ties that bind, once again set out on the high plains in holt, colorado. Nine years after the publication of his last novel, kent haruf returns with the final volume of what is likely to be thought of, along with its predecessor eventide and 1999s plainsong, as the holt trilogy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading benediction plainsong series book 3. One of those ugly little towns, holt, was invented by the novelist kent haruf. Kent harufs final novel, our souls at night, explores. Whether hes portraying life in this small town on colorados high.
Heartbreaking yet affirming, this is a novel that explores the pain, the compassion and above all the humanity of ordinary people. Louis postdispatch, and the denver postin the familiar setting of holt, colorado, home to all of kent harufs inimitable fiction, addie moore pays an unexpected visit to a neighbor, louis waters. If you want to be exalted, get a copy of plainsong or eventide or benediction and drop into the lives of the folks who live on the dry plains in the fictional town of holt, colorado. With the death of novelist kent haruf, colorado has lost one if its celebrated native sons, its astute and wise observer of rural life and community on colorados eastern plains. In where you once belonged, the bestselling and awardwinning novelist of eventide, kent haruf tells of a smalltown hero. Benediction plainsong series book 3 kindle edition by haruf, kent. Conversations on our souls at night by kent haruf ebook by. In some ways, what happens in holt happens in denver, in minneapolis, everywhere. When dad lewis is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he and his wife, mary, must work together to make his final days as comfortable as possible. There is a deep, satisfying music to this book, as haruf weaves between such a large cast of characters in so small a space. Kent hauf is the author of five novels, including plainsong, eventide and benediction. My personal favorite of harufs, benediction feels like his most personal and autobiographical novel. Haruf sings the second verse of his moving hymn to life on americas great plains.
Sensual descriptions of landscape and weather create an impression of timelessness. Benediction is a book i experienced as tender, gentle, and like a deeply moving ballad resonating in the key of life. How does its simplicity contribute to the mood of the story. Using the fictional town of holt in the high plains of colorado as a setting, kent haruf builds a finely threaded fabric of stories that place. The surprising opening offer hooks the reader right away. In 1965 he graduated with a ba from nebraska wesleyan university, where he would later teach, and earned an mfa from the iowa writers workshop at the university of iowa in 1973. Kent harufs novels the tie that binds, where you once belonged, plainsong, eventide and now benediction present slices from life in the fictional town of. The lives of many citizens of holt intertwine, and haruf keeps the story moving towards a conclusion that, while not complete, brings closure to some of the characters. As with all of his novels, benediction takes place in the fictional holt, colorado, and is the story of the life and death of store owner dad lewis. Our souls at night by kent haruf overdrive rakuten.
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