''Horseman, Pass By'' is a 1961

Western novel Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...

by American writer

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

. McMurtry's debut novel, it portrays life on a

cattle ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

from the perspective of young narrator Lonnie Bannon. Set in Texas in 1954, the Bannon ranch is owned by Lonnie's grandfather, Homer Bannon. Homer's ruthless stepson, Hud, stands as the primary antagonist of the novel. The novel was adapted into the screenplay for the 1963 film '' Hud'', starring

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

as the title character. The title of the novel derives from the last three lines of the poem "

Under Ben Bulben "Under Ben Bulben" is a poem written by Irish poet W. B. Yeats. Composition It is believed to be one of the last poems he wrote, being drafted when he was 73, in August 1938 when his health was already poor (he died in January 1939). Publicat ...

" by

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, which are carved on Yeats’s tombstone:

Plot

Seventeen-year-old Lonnie lives on a Texas

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

with his grandfather Homer Bannon, Homer's wife Jewel, and her adult son Hud. While a good

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

, Hud does whatever he wants, regardless of others. They also have a new worker, Jesse, and a cook Halmea, a friendly African-American woman who is treated respectfully by Homer. Hud is nasty towards her, and Lonnie tries to be nice to her; both of them are attracted to her but she is uninterested. The prologue briefly explains life on the ranch and the backstories of everyone there. One day, one of Homer's young heifers dies suddenly. The dead animal is found to have

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, follo ...

, and it has spread to the rest of the herd. All

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

on the ranch are led into a deep pit dug by bulldozers. They are shot and buried. During this time, Hud

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

s Halmea, causing her to leave. Lonnie and Halmea shoot at him but miss. Halmea tries to kill him, but Lonnie just wants to scare him, to no avail. Lonnie goes to the town rodeo, only to see his friend Hermy get seriously hurt in a

bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...

accident when a bull stomps on and shatters his chest. Lonnie heads back to the ranch with Hud in a car behind him. Lonnie spots Homer on the side of the highway and stops without warning, causing Hud to rear-end him. Homer is injured and bloody, with the tip of a bone protruding from his chest. Hud sends Lonnie to flag down a car, but Lonnie is unsuccessful. Hud shoots Homer while he is gone. Lonnie is very upset by this, but Hud says it is the best thing he could do due to the physical pain he was in and would most likely never fully recover. The book ends with Homer's funeral. When Hud tells Lonnie he must come along with them to the graveyard, Lonnie pulls away and runs behind the church. He thinks about his grandfather and the fact that he now gets to stay with his land forever, a thought that makes him feel better about probably losing the ranch. He stands outside the church "thinking of the horseman that had passed." An epilogue is quickly narrated by Lonnie. He explains how he left Homer's funeral to see his injured friend, Hermy. He hitches a ride with a truck driver who knew Homer. When he asks how he is doing all Lonnie says is, "Mean as ever". The driver tells numerous stories about bulls, his wife, and his kids. Lonnie says to the reader how he reminds him of everyone he knows.

References

{{Reflist 1961 American novels Western (genre) novels Novels by Larry McMurtry American novels adapted into films Harper & Brothers books Novels set in Texas Fiction set in 1954 1961 debut novels