Alvin Carl Greene (1923- ) was born and raised in Abilene, Texas. He left Texas during World War II and served in the U.S. Navy and Marines. After a four-year stint in the military, Greene received a B.A. from Abilene Christian College in 1948 and began working as a reporter for the . He remained on the staff for 12 years and also ran a bookstore in Abilene from 1952 to 1957.

In 1960, Greene joined as book editor and editorial columnist. Eight years later he left to concentrate on writing and received a Dobie-Paisano fellowship which allowed him to finish his acclaimed book, , in 1969. Greene went on to publish many books and articles in the 1970s and 1980s. The range of Greene's writing has been very broad, although he is closely tied to the subject of Texas. His books cover cities in Texas, historical events in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, personal reminiscences, and literary criticism. He also worked at KERA-TV in Dallas as news commentator from 1970 through 1977 and has reviewed books for the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. Greene has taught journalism at Hardin-Simmons University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Southern Methodist University.

Health problems in the late 1980s kept him from writing, but after receiving a heart transplant Greene recovered and published a book, , about his illness. Greene is a member of PEN International, the Writers Guild of America, and the Texas Institute of Letters. He was most recently Coordinating Director of the Center for Texas Studies at the University of North Texas in Denton, but has retired and is living in Salado with his wife.