Robert Polito recounts Thompson's relationship with his father, a disgraced Oklahoma sheriff, with the women he adored in life and murdered on the page, with alcohol, would-be censors, and Hollywood auteurs. Unrelenting and empathetic, casting light into the darker caverns of our collective psyche, Savage Art is an exemplary homage to an American original. A National Book Critics Circle Award winner. 57 photos.

Robert Polito is a poet, essayist, and critic whose works include Hollywood & God and Doubles. Additionally, his critical works include A Reader’s Guide to James Merrill’s The Changing Light at Sandover and At the Titan’s Breakfast: Three Essays on Byron’s Poetry. Polito has served as president of the Poetry Foundation and hosts a radio show aimed at showcasing emerging poets called PoetryNow.