Cormac McCarthy
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, and raised in Tennessee, Cormac McCarthy was an award-winning American author who produced over ten novels, acclaimed screenplays, plays and short fiction, spanning the Western, Southern Gothic and post-apocalyptic genres.
His debut novel, The Orchard Keeper, was published in 1965, and was followed by Outer Dark (1968), which McCarthy wrote whilst living in Ibiza on a literary grant from awarded by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Blood Meridian (1985), McCarthy’s fifth novel set in the hostile landscape of the Texas-Mexico border, has often been hailed as his masterpiece, whilst it was his sixth, All the Pretty Horses (1992) that became the most commercially and critically successful work of his career up to that point. It was followed by The Crossing (1994) and Cities of the Plain (1998), which together form The Border Trilogy. In 2007, McCarthy was awarded both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his 2006 triumph, The Road – a story of a father and son on a journey through a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape. Many of McCarthy’s novels, including The Road and his 2005 novel No Country for Old Men have been adapted into award-winning films.
McCarthy passed away in 2023 not long after the publication of his final works, The Passenger and it's companion novel Stella Maris
What genres does Cormac McCarthy write in?
McCarthy wrote across Western, Southern Gothic and post-apocalyptic genres, producing novels, screenplays, plays and short fiction.
What are some of McCarthy's most acclaimed books?
Blood Meridian is often hailed as his masterpiece. The Road won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. All the Pretty Horses was his most commercially and critically successful early work. No Country for Old Men and The Road have notable film adaptations. His final books include The Passenger and its companion Stella Maris.
What is The Border Trilogy and what is the recommended reading order?
The Border Trilogy consists of All the Pretty Horses (1992), The Crossing (1994) and Cities of the Plain (1998). Read them in that publication order to follow the linked characters and themes.
Where should a new reader start with McCarthy's work?
For a relatively accessible introduction try All the Pretty Horses for his Western writing or The Road for his post-apocalyptic style. Readers seeking a denser, more challenging work can try Blood Meridian.
Which of McCarthy's novels have been adapted into award-winning films?
No Country for Old Men and The Road have been adapted into award-winning films.