‘The King of Taos’

Title: “The King of Taos”

Author: Max Evans

Novel: Hardcover, 176 pages, 5 ½- by 8 ½-inches

Published: June 2020

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press, unmpress.com

ISBN: 978-0-8263-6164-6

Western author Max Evans tells a story about life during the 1950s in Taos, New Mexico.

His theme focuses on the “artists” and their varied philosophical musings as they interact with each other, longtime residents, various tourists, and Native Americans.

People who have called Taos home for decades demonstrate mixed feelings about the annual influx of tourists – especially those from Texas and “out East.”

Evans describes a variety of personalities including dreamers, tavern owners, art gallery proprietors, aspiring and established artists along with other minor characters who interact with a core group of protagonists. The main characters’ foibles and their positive traits form the basis of Evans’ poignant theme.

“I want to think every thought there is to think,” he shouted. “I want to make love to every woman alive and drink all the wine in the world. I want to feel all the pain, the pleasure, the love, the hate, the humor, the idiocy, and the suddenness of all mankind here!” yelled Shaw who wanted to prove to himself, his friends and the world at large that he was a true artist.

Anna is an artist’s model who is willing to share her generous physical attributes especially if the rewards include free drinks and money.

Kay Miller, recently divorced from her second husband and the recipient of two-million-dollar settlement, arrives in Taos looking for a new companion.

“She could get a man by simply walking down the street or stopping in a cocktail lounge. Getting one wasn’t the problem. The problem was which one,” wrote the author as he introduced Kay to Shaw. The resulting moral conflict almost devastated Shaw.

Evans writes about other characters such as Zacharias whose actions cause emotional family interactions and also produce friendly encounters with strangers. Zacharias operates under the influence of alcohol whenever he can obtain a bottle of Tokay wine or other spirits, especially if someone else is paying the tab.

Eventually Shaw stops flailing against fate and succumbs to the lure of the back streets of Taos.

“They walked down the street, the three of them. The Mexican whore, the blanket Indian, and the gringo artist.

“Yes, that’s what he wanted to be --- an artist. What could he complain about? He had his two favorite models and a full bottle of wine,” wrote the author at the conclusion of Chapter 29.

“Filled with quirky characters, beautiful descriptions, and a wonderful and affectionate sense of place, The King of Taos is a nostalgic classic from one of New Mexico’s bestloved authors,” wrote Anne Hillerman, author of The Tale Teller.

Max Evans was born in August 1924 and passed away in August 2020. He was an American writer best known for Western fiction. Evans lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for more than five decades and was the author of 27 fiction and nonfiction books during his career, which spanned 60 years. His first novel, The Rounders, was published in 1960 and was made into a film in 1965. Evans wrote and directed the movie The Wheel, which debuted in 1973. His novel The Hi-Lo Country was also made into a film in 1998.

“The King of Taos” was his final novel.