J. Frank Dobie

Although I have not read much in the way of Texas Literature, I have read a fair amount over the last year about Texas Literature. Anybody who delves into this topic must deal with the overwhelming presence of J. Frank Dobie. Dobie, perhaps more than any other author defined Texas as Western. The iconic event for this occurred back in 1939 when the Texas Institute of Letters awarded its first "Best Texas Book" to Dobie over Katherine Anne Porter. Politics aside, it points out a dichotomy in the identity of Texas, Dobie represents the West, Porter the South.
If one looks at a road map of Texas, taking I-35 as their guide, one can best see the division. To the east is that Texas which is Southern, to the west Western. The awarding of the TIL prize signified that Texas was hereafter to be considered a Western state.