Reading American cities: books about Austin

A bastion for liberals in Texas, Austin’s literary roots run deep. From stories about gentrification to books that explore its bohemian side, the dotcom era and crime, Michael Barrett examines the city’s literature in all its glory

• Which are your favourite books about Austin? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll include a selection in an upcoming readers’ list

For the past 24 years, Austin has called itself the Live Music Capital of the World, a title supported by festivals like SXSW and Austin City Limits (ACL), musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, and Spoon, and nightly shows on Sixth, Red River, and Rainey streets. Outside of music, Austin means The University of Texas (UT), tech and start-ups, hipsters, filmmaking and movies like Boyhood, Slacker, and Office Space, bats flying from the Congress Avenue Bridge, Formula One racing, Whole Foods, barbecue, Barton Springs, and where Jim and Pam decide to move at the conclusion of The Office.

But what of literary life? Don’t bearded bartenders read? Apparently they do, and Austin’s literary footprint has expanded as the city itself has grown. First settled in the 1830s – when it was named Waterloo – Austin is currently experiencing another boom, marking a sharp rise in traffic, gentrification, downtown construction, and literature.

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