Charles Portis books

Charles Portis was an American novelist best known for True Grit (1968), one of the most acclaimed Westerns in American literature. He published five novels between 1966 and 1991.

Short Story Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Escape Velocity 2012 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Norwood 1966 Buy
True Grit 1968 Buy
The Dog of the South 1979 Buy
Masters of Atlantis 1985 Buy
Gringos 1991 Buy

Charles Portis was an American novelist whose small body of work has earned an outsized reputation. True Grit (1968), his best-known novel, tells the story of Mattie Ross’s pursuit of her father’s killer with the help of the one-eyed Marshal Rooster Cogburn. The novel was adapted into two films and remains one of the defining works of American frontier fiction.

Portis published only five novels in his career, but each has its devoted readers. The Dog of the South (1979) and Masters of Atlantis (1985) are comic novels prized by those who have found them, while Norwood (1966) and Gringos (1991) round out a catalog that is remarkably consistent in quality. He published Escape Velocity, a collection of journalism and stories, in 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Charles Portis written?

Charles Portis has written six books across two series.

What was Charles Portis's first book?

Charles Portis’s first book is Norwood, published in 1966.

What is Charles Portis best known for?

Charles Portis is best known for True Grit (1968), the novel about fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross and US Marshal Rooster Cogburn. It was adapted into films in 1969 (starring John Wayne) and 2010 (by the Coen brothers).

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