Lars Eighner, whose memoir Travels With Lizbeth told the story of his three years of living without a home, has died at 73, the New York Times reports.
Eighner was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and raised in Houston. He later lived in Austin, where he worked at a psychiatric hospital; when he quit his job there, he became homeless, living in cities including Austin and Los Angeles with his dog, Lizbeth.
In 1993, he published Travels With Lizbeth, which garnered praise from critics. Two years later, he released a novel, Pawn to Queen Four, which a reviewer for Kirkus called “frivolous, but fun.”
Eighner would go on to struggle with homelessness and poverty even after the success of Travels With Lizbeth. His dog passed away in 1998; on his website, he wrote, “In spite of my speculating in the book that it might be appropriate for her to go to a Dumpster when her time came, Lizbeth's remains were cremated. On the Day of the Dead we built an altar for her and brought out the redwood box in which her ashes are sealed.”
Eighner’s admirers paid tribute to him on social media. Author Siva Vaidhyanathan tweeted, “My Austin in the late-20th century, was full of cruelty and wonder, crassness and creativity. Lars Eighner, as much as [musician] Daniel Johnston or anyone else, represented and recounted that moment. His book will remain a stirring example of what memoir can be.”
And journalist Gus Bova tweeted, “If you haven't read it, I can't recommend ‘Travels With Lizbeth’ enough, particularly if you live in Austin, or care about homelessness, or care about people, or just enjoy surprisingly funny writing.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
