Escape Velocity

Description

Collected here in Escape Velocity is Charles Portiss miscellany journalism, short fiction, memoir and even the play Delrays New Moon, published for the first time. Portis covers topics as varied as the civil rights movement, road tripping in Baja and Elviss visits to his ageing mother. Fans of Portiss droll humour and quirky characters from his bestselling novels, including True Grit, will be thrilled at this collection, and those not yet familiar with his work will find a great introduction to him here. Also included are tributes by authors including Donna Tartt and Ron Rosenbaum.

Charles Portis was the London bureau chief of the New York Herald-Tribune and was a writer for The New Yorker. He lives in Arkansas, where he was born and educated. He served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. Jay Jennings is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many national publications, including The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times Book Review and the San Francisco Chronicle.

His newspaper writing is as richly textured as any of the New Journalism that emerged in the 1960s but with none of the fireworks that betray the writer's effort at innovation * Wall Street Journal * A thoughtfully composed selection of published work spiced with rare and fresh material Portis really shines in this collection * The New York Times Book Review *