Jim Harrison, 'Legends of The Fall' Writer, Dies at 78

PATAGONIA, AZ - Famed writer Jim Harrison, the author of "Legends of the Fall" whose life and work were defined by the natural world and who drew comparisons to William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway for his writing, died Saturday at his home in Arizona, his publisher confirmed. He was 78.

"It is with heavy hearts that we at Grove Atlantic announce the death of our friend and author Jim Harrison, who passed away on Saturday, March 26th at his home in Patagonia, AZ. One of the giants of the last half-century of American letters, Jim was the author of 39 books of fiction, poetry and essays. His voice came from the American heartland and his deep and abiding love of the American landscape runs through his extraordinary body of work," Publisher & CEO of Grove Atlantic, Morgan Entrekin said in a statement.

"I met Jim in 1978 when I was working with the legendary publisher Sam Lawrence, who asked me to read the manuscript of a collection of novellas called "Legends of the Fall" which Delacorte Press went on to publish to great acclaim. After Sam's death in 1994, Jim decided to come publish with Grove Atlantic. Over the last 22 years, we have published and reissued 19 of his books. His unwavering support of this old-fashioned independent literary publisher was one of the reasons we have survived and thrived. America has lost one of its greatest writers, but those of us at Grove Atlantic have lost a member of our family. Our thoughts are with the Harrison family and his many friends all over the world. Jim is gone but his work will live on."

The cause of death has not been determined. A native of Michigan, Harrison lived during the summers in Montana and in Arizona during the winter months. His writing student in Montana overlooked the Paradise Valley and the front yard was full of rattlesnakes that Harrison would shoot at with a pistol. As explained by the New York Times, Harrison was not a household name but had a number of devoted readers in North America. Harrison was also hugely popular in Europe, particularly in France.

Harrison's works included 21 works of fiction, the most recent of which, "The Ancient Mistrel," was published this month. His most famous work, "Legends of The Fall," about three Montana brothers who fall in love with the same woman, was adapted as a movie in 1994 starring Brad Pitt. He also wrote 14 works of poetry.

In a 2007 interview with NPR, Harrison said he needed the wilderness being exposed to it as a young age, growing up in rural Michigan. He was 7-year-old when a piece of glass went into his eye leaving him blind in his left eye.

He once tried teaching at the State University of New York at Stony Brook but said there just weren't enough places for him to feel free. Critics compared Harrison to his characters, "burly men who like to hunt, fish and eat."

Many expressed their condolences after learning of his passing.

This report will be updated.

Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr Creative Commons