Larry Brown

Life and writing Larry Brown was born on July 9, 1951, and grew up near Oxford, Mississippi. He graduated from high school in Oxford, but did not want to go to college, opting instead for a stint in the Marines. Many years later, he took a creative writing class at the University of Mississippi.

Brown also said that he wrote hundreds of short stories before he began to be published.

Brown had also cited contemporary music as an influence, and his tastes were broad. He appeared with the Texas alt-rock band fronted by Alejandro Escovedo, a good friend of his. Brown cited the lyrics of Leonard Cohen as an influence. He had friends in the film industry, including Billy Bob Thornton.

Personal life and death Brown died of an apparent heart attack at his home in the Yocona community, near Oxford, in November 2004.

Brown was survived by his wife Mary Annie Coleman Brown, and three children: Billy Ray (son), Shane (son), and LeAnne (daughter). Brown was also survived by his mother (Leona Barlow Brown) and two grandchildren. His father (Knox Brown) died in 1968.

Selected bibliography Fiction Facing the Music (1988) – short stories Dirty Work (1989) – novel Big Bad Love (1990) – short stories Joe (1991) – novel Father and Son (1996) – novel Fay (2000) – novel The Rabbit Factory (2003) – novel A Miracle of Catfish (2007) – novel Tiny Love: The Complete Stories of Larry Brown (2019) - short stories

Nonfiction On Fire (1993) – memoir Billy Ray's Farm: Essays from a Place Called Tula (2001) - essays