Cormac McCarthy, the renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, passed away at the age of 89. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf confirmed that McCarthy died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from natural causes. Nihar Malaviya, CEO Penguin Random House, expressed his admiration for McCarthy’s unwavering dedication to his craft and his ability to explore the profound potential of language. Malaviya recognized millions of readers worldwide who embraced McCarthy’s characters, evocative themes, and emotional truths, establishing his novels as timeless classics.
Comparisons to William Faulkner were frequently made due to McCarthy’s rich prose and rural settings. Similar to Faulkner, McCarthy’s stories often portrayed dark and violent themes, illustrating how the past relentlessly influences the present. McCarthy’s narratives unfolded against harrowing landscapes and dilapidated border towns, featuring drifters, criminals, prostitutes, and aging men who were trapped by predetermined fates. McCarthy’s celebrated “Border” trilogy, for instance, conveyed the poignant message that dreams rarely came true, and love was often a futile pursuit.
McCarthy’s path to success was not instantaneous. At the age of 60, he was relatively unknown to the public. However, with the release of “All the Pretty Horses” in 1992, McCarthy gained commercial success and subsequently won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. He even made an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s show and saw his novel “No Country for Old Men” adapted into an Academy Award-winning film by the Coen brothers. McCarthy’s most widely recognized book, “The Road,” delved into the desolate journey of a father and son, resonating deeply with readers. The novel received numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and a place in Winfrey’s book club.
McCarthy’s inspiration for “The Road” was rooted in a trip he took with his young son to El Paso, Texas. Standing at a hotel window in the dead of night, McCarthy gazed at a future El Paso ravaged by fires. This image, coupled with thoughts of his son’s well-being, sparked the creation of “The Road.” When Winfrey questioned McCarthy about his desire for widespread readership, he articulated that while he wanted his book to be appreciated, he did not place significant importance on its popularity.
In 2022, McCarthy surprised fans by announcing the release of two interconnected novels, “The Passenger” and “Stella Maris.” These books revolved around a brother and sister, delving into their obsessive relationship and the legacy of their father, a physicist involved in atomic technology. “Stella Maris” was notable for featuring a female protagonist, an aspect that McCarthy acknowledged as a personal challenge.
Throughout his career, McCarthy authored numerous novels, including “The Orchard Keeper,” “Outer Dark,” “Child of God,” and “Suttree.” However, it was the violent and provocative “Blood Meridian,” depicting a group of bounty hunters who ruthlessly murdered Native Americans in the Texas-Mexico borderlands, that attracted significant attention.
McCarthy believed that he was always fortunate. Despite living in destitution as a young man, he often experienced unexpected strokes of luck. For instance, when he ran out of toothpaste in his dilapidated Tennessee shack, he miraculously received a toothpaste sample in the mail. McCarthy’s achievements were further exemplified when his Olivetti typewriter sold at auction for $254,500. He donated the proceeds to the Santa Fe Institute, a nonprofit research community, emphasizing his preference to associate with scientists rather than writers.
In 2008, the Southwestern Writers Collection at Texas State University-San Marcos acquired McCarthy’s archives, which included correspondence, drafts, proofs of 11 novels, an unfinished novel, as well as materials related to a play and four screenplays.
McCarthy’s early life was marked by attending the University of Tennessee and serving in the Air Force. Although he did not complete his degree, he embarked on a writing career and resided near the Great Smoky Mountains before settling in Santa Fe. Unfortunately, his childhood home in Knoxville was destroyed by fire in 2009.
Sue Major Holmes, a retired AP reporter in New Mexico, contributed to this obituary, while Hillel Italie, AP National Writer, reported from New York.
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