Whispery and wise and flecked with eccentric humor, Garrison Keillor's baritone has long seeped across a nation that, despite its perpetual restiveness and cravings for trends, has found comfort in his brand of Midwestern pragmatism, schmaltz and slow-motion charm.
The voice, which has the timbre of a great-uncle sharing confidences in the pitch of night, is about to pack up its tales and retire after four decades. Keillor has announced that after next season he will no longer host "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show, which features music, drama and skits from Lake Wobegon, a fictional Minnesota town where "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average.