Books Essay

On the Trail with an Arkansas Traveler

Charles Portis looked past our national mythology to portray the real America

By Richard Tillinghast | June 1, 2026
Charles Portis, “our least-known great novelist,” with his pickup truck (Copyright the Charles Portis Estate)
Charles Portis, “our least-known great novelist,” with his pickup truck (Copyright the Charles Portis Estate)

Charles Portis looked past our national mythology to portray the real America

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Richard Tillinghast is the author of Blue if Only I Could Tell You—his 13th collection of poems—and Journeys into the Mind of the World: A Book of Places.

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