Kent Haruf – författare

Shortlisted for the Folio Prize'Unforgettable' – Anne Tyler'Stunningly original' – GuardianOne long last summer for Dad Lewis in his beloved town, Holt, Colorado. As old friends pass in and out to voice their farewells and good wishes, Dad's wife and daughter work to make his final days as comfortable as possible, knowing all is tainted by the heart-break of an absent son. Next door, a little girl with a troubled past moves in with her grandmother, and down town another new arrival, the Reverend Rob Lyle, attempts to mend strained relationships of his own.Utterly beautiful, and devastating yet affirming, Kent Haruf's Benediction explores the pain, the compassion and the humanity of ordinary people.

Following the astonishing Plainsong, Eventide is Kent Haruf's second novel set in his imaginary landscape of Holt, Colorado.Harold and Raymond McPheron are finally waving goodbye to their beloved Victoria, a young mother with a first chance at an education. Betty and Luther Wallace are struggling to keep their heads above water and their children out of care, and in the same town young friends Dena and DJ find solace away from their own troubled homes. As these stories unfold and entwine, tragedy strikes the McPheron household and life is thrown irrevocably off course.Heart-breaking yet hopeful, Kent Haruf's Eventide is an unflinching depiction of the hardships of small-town life, lit up by astonishing moments of redemption.

In The Tie That Binds, his critically acclaimed first novel, Kent Haruf delivers the sweeping tale of eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough. Narrated by her neighbour, Edith's tragedies unfold: a tough childhood, a mother's death, a violence that leaves a father dependent on his children, forever enraged. She is a woman who sacrifices everything in the name of family - until she is forced to reclaim her freedom in one dramatic and unexpected gesture. Breathtaking and truthful, The Tie That Binds is a powerful tribute to the demands of rural life, and to the tenacity of the human spirit.

Plainsong, set in Kent Haruf's fictional Holt County, Colorado, is an unforgettable modern classic, exploring the grace and hope of every human life, and our boundless capacity for love.‘So delicate and lovely that it has the power to exalt the reader’ – The New York TimesTom Guthrie is struggling to bring up his two young sons alone and, in the same town, school girl Victoria Roubideaux is pregnant and homeless.Brothers Harold and Raymond McPheron – gentle, solitary, gruff and unpolished – agree to take Victoria in, unaware that their lives will change forever.'Beautifully crafted, alive and quietly magnificent' – Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

'Absolutely beautiful' - The TimesAddie Moore’s husband died years ago, and so did Louis Waters’s wife, and, as neighbours in Holt, Colorado they have naturally long been aware of each other. With their children now far away, both live alone in houses empty of family. The nights are terribly lonely, with no one to talk to. Then, one evening Addie pays Louis an unexpected visit.Their brave adventures — their pleasures and their difficulties — form the beating heart of Our Souls at Night. Kent Haruf's final novel is an exquisite and moving story about love and growing old with grace. It is a lasting tribute to the extraordinary author who wrote it.Now part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the very best of modern literature.‘Luminous’ - Ursula K. Le Guin, The Guardian‘I loved Our Souls at Night’ - David Nicholls‘An astonishing piece of writing’ - Literary Review

Set in a fictional Colorado town, Kent Haruf's Where You Once Belonged brings to life small town America and the characters that keep the community together.Heavy-built Jack Burdette is quite literally too big for his boots – and too big, certainly, for the small-town attitudes of Holt, Colorado. But when he fails to make the grade as a college footballer, and takes a job with the local farmers’ cooperative, it seems he has finally settled into the rhythm and routine of everyday life. Outward appearances can be deceptive, however, as Jack proves: returning from a weekend conference with a new wife in tow, then leaving her behind and skipping town with a bundle of other folks’ money.Nearly a decade later, no one has forgiven or forgotten, and when Jack reappears, resentment runs high. Once again though, it is Jack whose presence – even more than his eight-year absence – proves the most devastating.

'I loved Our Souls at Night' – David Nicholls, author of One Day.This is a love story.A story about growing old with grace and finding happiness later in life. Addie Moore and Louis Waters have been neighbours for years. Now they both live alone, their houses empty of family, their quiet nights solitary. Then one evening Addie pays Louis a visit.Their brave adventures form the beating heart of Our Souls at Night, Kent Haruf's exquisite final novel.