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Texas Summer
An evocative, poignant coming-of-age novel set in rural Texas in the 1950s Through events small and large, thirteen-year-old Harold Stevens grows up during a pivotal summer in the red-dirt backcountry of West Texas. With his friend C.K. Crow, the black field hand who works for Harold’s father, he shoots deer and quail, fishes for catfish, mends fences, grows and learns about marijuana, and tests his emerging manhood against bullies, bulls, and the irresistible charms of his horse-riding older cousin. During a hysterical trip to a circus sideshow, Harold and a buddy sneak backstage to see “The Great Hermaphrodite” and the “funny little old Monkey Man,” whom they try to buy a beer. But danger waits on the fringe of this innocent time. When C.K.’s brother, Big Nail, appears after escaping from a chain gang, an inevitable and violent confrontation between the brothers is set in motion—a confrontation that will mark the end of Harold’s childhood. This insideview of Southern’s roots in Alvarado, Texas, where pastoral innocence belied an undercurrent of racism and violence, brings this novel of a boy’s transition to maturity vividly alive. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Terry Southern including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Terry Southern
65 books137 followersTerry Southern was an American novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and satirist renowned for his sharp wit, fearless satire, and incisive observations on American life. A leading voice of the counterculture and a progenitor of New Journalism, Southern made lasting contributions to both literature and film, influencing generations of writers and filmmakers with his unique blend of surreal humor and cultural critique.
Born in Alvarado, Texas, Southern served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he was stationed in North Africa and Italy. After the war, he studied philosophy at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago before moving to Paris in 1948 on the G.I. Bill. There, he became part of the expatriate literary scene and developed friendships with other writers and artists. It was during this period that he met Mason Hoffenberg, with whom he co-wrote the controversial erotic satire Candy, published in 1958. The novel was banned in several countries but became an underground classic, cementing Southern’s reputation as a daring literary voice.
Southern’s first novel, Flash and Filigree (1958), introduced readers to his darkly comedic style, but it was The Magic Christian (1959) that brought him broader acclaim. The book, which satirizes greed and corruption through the antics of an eccentric billionaire, exemplified Southern’s trademark irreverence and biting social commentary. He followed this with the acclaimed short story collection Red-Dirt Marijuana and Other Tastes (1967), the porn-industry parody Blue Movie (1970), and the semi-autobiographical Texas Summer (1992).
In the 1960s, Southern turned to screenwriting and quickly became one of the most sought-after writers in Hollywood. He co-wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), a black comedy about nuclear war that earned him an Academy Award nomination. His other screenwriting credits include The Loved One (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Barbarella (1968), Easy Rider (1969), and the film adaptation of The Magic Christian (1969). His work on Easy Rider was particularly significant, as the film became a landmark of the New Hollywood era and a symbol of the American counterculture.
Southern's literary and journalistic work also found homes in major publications such as Esquire, Harper’s, and The Paris Review. His style helped pave the way for the New Journalism movement, and Tom Wolfe cited Southern as a major influence. Beyond his literary and cinematic achievements, Southern was known for his friendships with notable cultural figures, including William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Despite early success, Southern struggled in his later years with financial instability and health problems. He continued to write and teach, contributing to Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s and lecturing on screenwriting at institutions like New York University and Columbia University.
Terry Southern died in New York City in 1995 of respiratory failure. Though his name is less known today than some of his contemporaries, his work remains influential. Revered for his unapologetic voice and imaginative storytelling, Southern is remembered as a fearless satirist who pushed the boundaries of both literature and film.
Born in Alvarado, Texas, Southern served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he was stationed in North Africa and Italy. After the war, he studied philosophy at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago before moving to Paris in 1948 on the G.I. Bill. There, he became part of the expatriate literary scene and developed friendships with other writers and artists. It was during this period that he met Mason Hoffenberg, with whom he co-wrote the controversial erotic satire Candy, published in 1958. The novel was banned in several countries but became an underground classic, cementing Southern’s reputation as a daring literary voice.
Southern’s first novel, Flash and Filigree (1958), introduced readers to his darkly comedic style, but it was The Magic Christian (1959) that brought him broader acclaim. The book, which satirizes greed and corruption through the antics of an eccentric billionaire, exemplified Southern’s trademark irreverence and biting social commentary. He followed this with the acclaimed short story collection Red-Dirt Marijuana and Other Tastes (1967), the porn-industry parody Blue Movie (1970), and the semi-autobiographical Texas Summer (1992).
In the 1960s, Southern turned to screenwriting and quickly became one of the most sought-after writers in Hollywood. He co-wrote the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), a black comedy about nuclear war that earned him an Academy Award nomination. His other screenwriting credits include The Loved One (1965), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Barbarella (1968), Easy Rider (1969), and the film adaptation of The Magic Christian (1969). His work on Easy Rider was particularly significant, as the film became a landmark of the New Hollywood era and a symbol of the American counterculture.
Southern's literary and journalistic work also found homes in major publications such as Esquire, Harper’s, and The Paris Review. His style helped pave the way for the New Journalism movement, and Tom Wolfe cited Southern as a major influence. Beyond his literary and cinematic achievements, Southern was known for his friendships with notable cultural figures, including William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Despite early success, Southern struggled in his later years with financial instability and health problems. He continued to write and teach, contributing to Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s and lecturing on screenwriting at institutions like New York University and Columbia University.
Terry Southern died in New York City in 1995 of respiratory failure. Though his name is less known today than some of his contemporaries, his work remains influential. Revered for his unapologetic voice and imaginative storytelling, Southern is remembered as a fearless satirist who pushed the boundaries of both literature and film.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 18, 2017
There are some wonderfully nostalgic delights here as we spend a summer in the life of 12-year-old Harold. I especially enjoyed our young protagonist being teased and titillated by his newly voluptuous 13-year-old cousin, and a memorable trip to the carnival which featured two boys trying to sneak into the freak show to get a peek at the hermaphrodite's naughty bits.
While this was by no means great literature, I enjoyed it enough to order some other titles by the author.
Trigger warning - there is liberal use of the n-word.
While this was by no means great literature, I enjoyed it enough to order some other titles by the author.
Trigger warning - there is liberal use of the n-word.
October 6, 2015
Terry Southern was a serious contender in the 1960's, penning amusing, episodic novels such as Flash & Filigree and The Magic Christian, collaborating on screenplays for such classic, generation-defining movies as Barbarella, Dr. Strangelove and Easy Rider.
He was plugged into the zeitgeist, taking plaudits from Mailer and Vonnegut while hanging out with Kubrick and The Beatles (he amongst the cast on the Sgt. Pepper album).
Then the 60's came to a finish and for all intents and purposes so did he, like so many from that era, a casualty to hedonism and substance abuse. He continued to start projects in the 70's, but never really finished anything before he death in 1995, except for this short novel.
Texas Summer is an evocation of his upbringing in rural Texas between the wars. Much of it is an amalgam cribbed from previously published short-stories.
Harold is the typical Texan teenager, raised in a culture of agriculture, gun worship, lusting after your cousin and being continually corrected by your mother for cussin'.
His best friends are his father's hired hand, a black labourer called C.K., and a mischievious slightly older neighbour, Big Lawrence, who never utters a sentence without inserting the slang term "dang" in there somewhere.
Between the three of them Southern, best known as a satirist, instead plays clear homage to Twain and the relationship between Huck Finn and his two companions, Jim and Tom Sawyer.
Harold experiences adventure, danger, the first stirrings of lust and his first taste of tragedy. The writing is nostalgic without once becoming mawkish, enjoyable without really getting out of an idling gear.
Like those earlier novels it's episodic with only the loosest momentum provided by an underlying plot, which brings about events leading to a typical end for such rites of passage stories, namely the loss of innocence.
A quick read, recommended for teenagers.
He was plugged into the zeitgeist, taking plaudits from Mailer and Vonnegut while hanging out with Kubrick and The Beatles (he amongst the cast on the Sgt. Pepper album).
Then the 60's came to a finish and for all intents and purposes so did he, like so many from that era, a casualty to hedonism and substance abuse. He continued to start projects in the 70's, but never really finished anything before he death in 1995, except for this short novel.
Texas Summer is an evocation of his upbringing in rural Texas between the wars. Much of it is an amalgam cribbed from previously published short-stories.
Harold is the typical Texan teenager, raised in a culture of agriculture, gun worship, lusting after your cousin and being continually corrected by your mother for cussin'.
His best friends are his father's hired hand, a black labourer called C.K., and a mischievious slightly older neighbour, Big Lawrence, who never utters a sentence without inserting the slang term "dang" in there somewhere.
Between the three of them Southern, best known as a satirist, instead plays clear homage to Twain and the relationship between Huck Finn and his two companions, Jim and Tom Sawyer.
Harold experiences adventure, danger, the first stirrings of lust and his first taste of tragedy. The writing is nostalgic without once becoming mawkish, enjoyable without really getting out of an idling gear.
Like those earlier novels it's episodic with only the loosest momentum provided by an underlying plot, which brings about events leading to a typical end for such rites of passage stories, namely the loss of innocence.
A quick read, recommended for teenagers.
July 15, 2009
Nostalgia for aspects of Texan summers that are sad, frightening, and sometimes funny. Southern is especially on the mark with his young boys, who are so swift with unthinking cruelty. The book has a lot of humor, and it has all the typical rural trademarks like the fair, fishing for catfish, cows - it also has red dirt marijuana and an exhibitionist first cousin. More like a series of memories than a novel.
May 20, 2018
This was such a quick read, it felt more like a novella than a novel, but it does encompass one summer in a 12 year-old's life in the fifties in Alvarado Texas. Some of it was amusing and evocative of small town Texas. Some of it was depressing and sad. The parts where he is interacting with the black hired hand was rather reminiscent of Huck and Jim (and the dialect equally dense). This was my first book by this author, and I would say he is a good writer, but I don't know that this is my cup of tea.
January 28, 2020
Southern's last published novel, but clearly a reworking of earlier prose, this is a small slice of rural Texana -- essentially an expansion of the short story "Red-Dirt Marijuana." As such, it's similar to an early Larry McMurtry novel with less pathos. One chapter in particular reads like later Southern with its depiction of a nymphet cousin named ahem Caddy. Southern had at least one obsession that characterizes most of his work. Extremely readable and entertaining but missing most of the edge of his best writing.
June 12, 2022
it's fine but there's not much to this nostalgic journey through a dialectal texas of a certain era, where twelve or so year old boys confront stuff that i guess generically we don't think twelve or so year old boys should have to confront but probably do all the time, including inappropriate sexuality, culturally brutal social systems, relatives that are downright bad for you etc. terry southern made his name as a satirist and this falls more in line with truman capote than jonathan swift, which is an interesting change of pace but not the gear he drives best in.
August 2, 2017
Just what I needed a quick fun story.
May 24, 2019
Just. No.
August 9, 2021
Texas Noir
March 7, 2021
What a shit show...
How could the writer of The Magic Christian stoop so low as to crawl through the mess of this book. A 12 year old boy who acts way beyond his age with a grandfather who fantasizes about 13 year old girl's butt. Southern must have remembered some weird shit from his childhood and wasted paper to have it published.
How could the writer of The Magic Christian stoop so low as to crawl through the mess of this book. A 12 year old boy who acts way beyond his age with a grandfather who fantasizes about 13 year old girl's butt. Southern must have remembered some weird shit from his childhood and wasted paper to have it published.
October 11, 2008
not a huge fan
Read
August 7, 2011More like a collection of short scenes for a movie. Similar to his screenplays. Quick enjoyable read but not fulfilling
Read
December 14, 2012simple story of 12 year old boy, so-so
April 20, 2015
Interesting look at life in Texas in the 1950s...
January 25, 2018
Especially good and honest about the sometimes mindless cruelty of adolescent boys.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews