At Book Beast, author John Avlon spends a day in Livingston, Montana with Jim Harrison, who he calls “arguably America’s greatest living author—and certainly our earthiest.”

Harrison is the author of 30 books, including Legends of the Fall, The Farmer’s Daughter (newly released in paperback) and Returning to Earth, which won an award from the indie booksellers of the Northwest in 2008.

It’s a great profile, though Avlon is clearly enamored with Harrison (though he says he has a face like a “weathered tomato.”) They drive around talking about writing, marriage, food, excess, the French and politics. Avlon concludes: “Reading Jim Harrison can help you be a better animal, balancing the examined life with unselfconscious enthusiasm for living. He is a direct connection to the dwindling tradition of the literary outlaw, offering a sip of the frontier spirit that says that if you think for yourself and stand on your own feet, you’ll find yourself in good company—one way or another.”