Tales from the West Texas Dust

"Texas Bound", (C) 1993, Dallas Museum of Art.

It's amazing what literary treasures you can find at the local library when you check them out--even if they might be about a few years old. That was the case when I feasted my eyes on a rare literary treasure--in the form of an audiobook, no less. Knowing that I am a very lazy reader (not to mention my past problems with my eyes and the need to save myself a little eye strain), I thought that I might give this thing a little spin. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Look inside and you might have the privilege of hearing some very eloquent and diverse stories from some very distinguished authors of Texas origin and connection. This live recording from the Dallas Museum of Art features readings ranging from Larry McMurtry's very earthy account of a night on the town in Fort Worth the main character has with a old high school friend who is being shipped off to fight in Korea the next morning in "There Will Be Peace In Korea" to a very hard-edged look at racism and discrimination found in Reginald McKnight's "The Kind of Light That Shines on Texas".

One after a while of listening to these might especially find some hidden and very fascinating and hilarious gems that would satisfy most literary appetites. I especially found Lynna Williams's "Personal Testimony" very appealing indeed. Being a former Southern Baptist, I could definitely identify with the trials and tribulations of a young girl who is sent off to church camp--and finds an side enterprise that nets her a little money and lets her teeter on the edge of spiritual disaster. That story was one that I really laughed hard and split my sides on.

William Goyen's "The Texas Principessa" was also a very light-hearted literary diamond-in-the-rough as far as I was concerned. This frolicking tale of the heiress of a dry-goods enterprize run by a Texas Jew who later married the son of an Italian nobleman who died on his wedding night might seem flighty on the surface and hard to follow at times due to constant ramblings, distractions, and digressions--but the tale eventually meanders towards a unique and just as wildly unexpected ending.

These, along with several other stories, are read live to an audience at the Museum by some very prominent Texas actors including Tommy Lee Jones of "Lonesome Dove" fame. Overall, this might be something you can listen to as you sit in an airplane flying across the state. And the Museum this week is also serving as my LONE STAR LINK OF THE WEEK--so check them out at http://www.dm-art.org. .

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