🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Kent Haruf
Kent Haruf is an award-winning literary fiction novelist from Pueblo, Colorado. He was born in 1943 to Louis Hoerauf, a Methodist preacher who changed the family name to Haruf since he was frustrated that nobody seemed to get it right. The name rhymes with sheriff though the change did not seem to work as nobody says it right to this day. The Harufs had a rootless life as Louis moved all over Colorado preaching during which time his children were encouraged to find whatever jobs they could find in the community they found themselves in. As such, Kent remembers living in more than three small towns in Colorado which colored his view of the rural setting that he writes about in Holt, the setting for all his six novels.
All Book Series by Kent Haruf
Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1994 Anthology · Flannery O'Connor,Raymond Carver,Alice Walker,Garrison Keillor,Annie Dillard,Richard Rodríguez,Patricia Hampl,Peter Hawkins,Frederick Buechner,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins
Listening for God, Vol. 2
Book 2 of 4 · published 1996 Anthology · Anne Tyler,John Updike,Tobias Wolff,Gail Godwin,Henry Louis Gates Jr.,Kathleen Norris,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins,Carol Bly,Andrew Dubus
Listening for God, Vol. 3
Book 3 of 4 · published 2000 Anthology · Tillie Olsen,Wendell Berry,John Cheever,Louise Erdrich,Mary Gordon,Tess Gallagher,Reynolds Price,Oscar Hijuelos,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins
Listening For God, Vol. 4
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2002 Co-authored · Robert Olen Butler,Allegra Goodman,James Baldwin,SueMiller,Doris Betts,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins,MichaelMalone,Alice Elliot Dark
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kent Haruf?
Kent Haruf is an award-winning literary fiction novelist from Pueblo, Colorado. He was born in 1943 to Louis Hoerauf, a Methodist preacher who changed the family name to Haruf since he was frustrated that nobody seemed to get it right. The name rhymes with sheriff though the change did not seem to work as nobody says it right to this day.
Which Kent Haruf series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Plainsong series, the earliest of Kent Haruf's multi-book series: it opens with Plainsong (1999) and runs to 3 books across 1999–2013, ending with Benediction (2013).
How many books has Kent Haruf written?
Kent Haruf has 13 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1984 and 2015. 7 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Plainsong series with 3 books — and 6 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Kent Haruf's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Kent Haruf's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Plainsong (1999–2013, 3 books).
How are Kent Haruf's books organised into series?
This guide splits Kent Haruf's 13 books into 2 named series and 6 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Plainsong (3 books, 1999–2013); Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith (4 books, 1994–2002).