Content Warning: This section of the guide features depictions of violence and racism.

Charles McColl Portis was born on December 28, 1933, in El Dorado, Arkansas. He grew up in nearby Hamburg, where his love of storytelling and the eccentricities of Southern life took root. After serving in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War, Portis attended the University of Arkansas, where he studied journalism. His career in newspapers began at the Northwest Arkansas Times, and he later worked for the Arkansas Gazette before moving on to the New York Herald Tribune. At the Herald Tribune, Portis rose to the position of London bureau chief, covering major international stories. However, he soon grew disillusioned with journalism, feeling constrained by the profession’s demands. In 1964, he returned to Arkansas to focus on writing fiction full-time, setting the stage for the novels that would define his legacy.

Portis published five novels in his lifetime. His first novel, Norwood (1966), tells the picaresque tale of a young Texan who embarks on a journey filled with oddball encounters. The novel was well-received and adapted into a 1970 film starring Glen Campbell. His second novel, True Grit (1968), became his defining work.