The literary world suffered a great loss one week ago, with the death of Ivan Doig. Doig was a prolific and beloved author whose books brought to life the special relationships that Montanans have with each other and with their land.
Author Ivan Doig
Doig was born in White Sulphur Springs, north of Bozeman, but spent the majority of his life on the Rocky Mountain Front, which served as the backdrop for many of his books. Doig’s work captured the lifestyles and personalities of rural Montanans, specifically those in Southwest Montana, in a way that made them relate-able far outside the Big Sky State.
Dawn Stuart, founder and CEO of Books In Common, has fond memories of the decade-long friendship she had with Doig. She’ll miss having lunch with him at the annual Pacific Northwest Bookseller Association meetings, and chatting on the phone about country life since they both grew up in the rural west. She’ll never forget the story he told her about sitting on his porch with friend and fellow author Craig Lesley, as they talked about high literature and at the same time “managed” the ground squirrel population in the yard with their .22 rifles.
Doig is already missed, but what a legacy to leave behind!
