Charle’s Portis is known for ‘True Grit’, but for me it pales to the rest of his works.
Sit for a spell and I shall tell you of the his book, the Master’s of Atlantis. I shan’t spoil it.
A young G.I. is in Europe waiting for a boat back to the U.S., he meets a man who eventually claims to be part of a mystical ancient order. The G.I. is gullible and falls for the ploy, while us the reader is well aware it is a con.
Well let’s just say he goes back to America, takes it rather seriously, and ends up starting his own very well-natured, well, cult. It’s got schisms and schemes and a happy ending.
And I think I love the work of Charles Portis because similar to Kurt Vonnegut, he illustrates loneliness in a tender and vulnerable way.
Also: There is an elaborate B-plot featuring a young con-man wanna-be who starts a venture in the Colorado mountains to grow fast growing weeds in the soil to grind down to recover gold.
Also I didn’t know Conan O’Brien had kind things to read about it, but I can see how he would like it too.
#Bookstodon #EnglishLit #AmericanLit #20thCenturyLit #Humanism #Loneliness
