THE MAN WHO KNEW BELLE STARR

a story by Richard Bausch

When I was still teaching “Writing the Short Story” at Connecticut College, I did a lot of what I called “ear training.” That is, I read aloud to my students stories that I thought were impeccably written, deep, and surprising. And almost every semester I read them “The Man Who Knew Belle Starr,” by Richard Bausch. I’ve never gotten tired of this story.

Bausch is a prolific writer of both novels and stories, and part of what amazes me about his work is his capacity for empathy, the wide range of insights into a variety of characters and situations. I’ve never found a cliche in his prose. There’s a fullness to what he does that is remarkable, and every word seems necessary.

Listen to it if you can, and here’s a link to where it’s archived at The Atlantic Magazine, where it first appeared. I hope you can open the link. I’m not great with technology!

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1987/04/the-man-who-knew-belle-starr/667489/