True Grit by Charles Portis (Omnibus)

Narrated by the aging Mattie Ross, True Grit is Mattie’s recollection of events, many years earlier, when, as a 14 year old girl she undertook an unthinkable quest to avenge her father’s death...

Mattie’s father, Frank Ross, left the family farm near the town of Dardanelle in Yell County, Arkansas, on a trip to buy some ponies, but was tragically never to return. He was shot dead and robbed by Tom Chaney, one of his own workers, who then fled, and is suspected to be hiding out in Indian Territory.

Mattie travels to Fort Smith to arrange for the return of her father’s body and to enquire as to what is being done to find her father’s killer. Finding the local lawmen disinterested, Mattie resolves to take matters into her own hands and seeks out the toughest deputy U.S. Marshal in the district, one Reuben J. ‘Rooster’ Cogburn. Although an aging, one-eyed, overweight, trigger-happy, hard-drinking man, Mattie believes Cogburn has ‘true grit’ and is the man best suited to help her.

Mattie persuades Cogburn to take on the job, and, joined by a Texas Ranger named La Boeuf, the three travel into dark, dangerous Indian country to hunt Chaney down and bring him to justice.

First brought to the big screen in a classic 1969 western starring John Wayne and more recently by the Cohen brothers in a 2010 film starring Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.

Written by Charles Portis.

Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Doreen Estall.

Read by Nancy Crane.

Producer: Heather Larmour

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2015.