Who is Author Cormac McCarthy

Ranked #3,695 in Books, Poetry & Writing, #140,474 overall | Donates to Salvation Army: Indiana Division

Author Cormac McCarthy

Welcome! This lens is about one of my all-time favorite authors, the award-winning renowned Cormac McCarthy. He has written ten novels in the Southern Gothic, western, and post-apocalyptic genres. Some of his novels have been made into movies. One of my favorites is the Border trilogy, which consists of "All the Pretty Horses," "The Crossing," and "Cities of the Plain."

About Cormac McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy, born Charles McCarthy

Cormac McCarthy was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and moved with his family to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1937. He is the third of six children, with three sisters and two brothers. In Knoxville, he attended Knoxville Catholic High School. His father was a successful lawyer for the Tennessee Valley Authority from 1934 to 1967.

McCarthy entered the University of Tennessee in 1951-1952 and was a liberal arts major. In 1953, he joined the United States Air Force for four years, two of which he spent in Alaska where he hosted a radio show. In 1957, he returned to the University of Tennessee. During this time in college, he published two stories in a student paper and won the Ingram-Merrill award in 1959 and 1960. In 1961, he and fellow university student Lee Holleman were married and had their son Cullen. He left school without earning a degree and moved with his family to Chicago where he wrote his first novel.



In the mid-1960s, he traveled through the United Kingdom, Southern Europe, and Ibiza, returned to Tennessee but divorced and moved to El Paso in 1976. He then married again and moved north of Santa Fe. Living for more than 25 years in Tennessee and then Texas has given McCarthy firsthand experience with the American south and southwest terrain, accent and culture.

McCarthy's first novel, The Orchard Keeper, was published by Random House in 1965. He decided to send the manuscript to Random House because "it was the only publisher he had heard of." At Random House, the manuscript found its way to Albert Erskine, who was William Faulkner's editor until Faulkner's death in 1962. Erskine continued to edit McCarthy for the next twenty years.

(Article Source)

The Border Trilogy Collection

by Cormac Mccarthy

The Border trilogy, which consists of "All the Pretty Horses," "The Crossing," and "Cities of the Plain" are amazing and heart-wrenching stories about life's challenges, sacrifice, suspense, betrayal, friendship and love.

The Border Trilogy: All the Pretty Horses, the Crossing, Cities of the Plain (Everyman's Library)

Amazon Price: $19.45 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now
List Price: $36.00
Used Price: $16.75

Release Date: 09/28/1999

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

All the Pretty Horses

by Cormac Mccarthy

All the Pretty Horses (The Border Trilogy, Book 1)

The first novel "All the Pretty Horses" tells of John Grady Cole, a sixteen year old cowboy who grew up on his grandfather's ranch in west Texas. The story begins soon after the death of John Grady's grandfather, and John Grady learns that the ranch is to be sold. Faced with the prospect of moving into town, John Grady instead chooses to leave, convincing his best friend, Lacey Rawlins, to accompany him. Traveling by horseback, the pair travel southward into Mexico, where they hope to find work as cowboys. They encounter, among others, a young boy, Jimmy Blevins, whom they befriend, and a young aristocrat's daughter, Alejandra, with whom John Grady Cole falls in love.

The Crossing

by Cormac Mccarthy

The Crossing (The Border Trilogy, Book 2)

The second novel in the trilogy, "The Crossing," like its predecessor, All the Pretty Horses, is a coming-of-age novel set on the lands bordering the southern United States and Mexico. The plot takes place before and during the Second World War, and focuses on the life of Billy Parham, the protagonist, a teenage cowboy, his family and his younger brother Boyd. The story tells of three journeys taken from New Mexico to Mexico. It is noted for being a more melancholic novel than the first of the trilogy, without returning to the hellish bleakness of McCarthy's early novels.

Cities of the Plain

by Cormac Mccarthy

Cities of the Plain: Border Trilogy (3)

The third novel of the trilogy "Cities of the Plain" takes place on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. The novel brings together John Grady Cole, protagonist of the first book of the trilogy, with Billy Parham, the young cowboy introduced in the second book.

The story begins in 1952 with both John Grady and Billy working together on a cattle ranch near the border cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. We learn of their life and work on the ranch. The owners are kind, but small cattle ranches of this kind are not thriving. Although the cowboys barely eke out their living, it is clear that John Grady and Billy love this harsh life -- close to the land, their horses, and the wild creatures that live in the desert. After a visit to a brothel in Juarez, John Grady falls in love with a fragile young prostitute, Magdalena. His destiny is to rescue her. Billy knows his younger friend is altruistic to a fault, but helps him in his mission. The brothel is run by Eduardo, a formidable adversary, and the opposite of John Grady in every way. Their meeting leads inevitably to a duel.

As in all of McCarthy's novels, there is a sorrowful end for the characters, the animals, even the place; however, in the epilogue, there is a glimmer of mercy, at least for one man.

Three Reasons to Love Cormac Mccarthy

Pulitzer Prize winner in 2007 for The Road, and his 2005 novel No Country for Old Men.

Has won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture for No Country for Old Men.

One of the four major American novelists of his time, along with Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and Philip Roth.

Cormac Mccarthy Novelist And Playwright

Blood Meridian

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West

Cormac McCarthy's earlier Blood Meridian (1985) was among Time Magazine's poll of 100 best English-language books published between 1925 and 2005

Retrieved on 2008-06-03 and he placed joint runner-up for a similar title in a poll taken in 2006 by the The New York Times of the best American fiction published in the last 25 years.

Retrieved on 2008-06-03

Literary critic Harold Bloom named him as one of the four major American novelists of his time, along with Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, and Philip Roth. He is frequently compared by modern reviewers to William Faulkner.

McCarthy also has written plays and screenplays.

Quick, what do you think of Cormac Mccarthy?

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Awards Cormac McCarthy Has Won

In college, McCarthy won the Ingram-Merrill award in 1959 and 1960.

The Orchard Keeper was awarded the Faulkner prize for a first novel.

He won a Traveling Fellowship award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

In 1969, McCarthy was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for creative writing.

In 1981, McCarthy was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.

In 1992, McCarthy was awarded the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award for All the Pretty Horses.

McCarthy was awarded the 2006 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction, one of Britain's oldest literary honors, for The Road.

In 2007, McCarthy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Road.

Vote for your favorite Cormac Mccarthy Novel

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac Mccarthy

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac Mccarthy

Now a major motion picture from Columbia Pictures starring more...1 point

The Crossing by Cormac Mccarthy

The Crossing by Cormac Mccarthy

In The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy fulfills the promise more...0 points

The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy

The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy

An American classic, The Orchard Keeper is the first more...0 points

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

An epic novel of the violence and depravity that attended more...0 points

Suttree by Cormac Mccarthy

Suttree by Cormac Mccarthy

By the author of Blood Meridian and All the Pretty more...0 points

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

In this taut, chilling novel, Lester Ballard--a vi more...0 points

Outer Dark by Cormac Mccarthy

Outer Dark by Cormac Mccarthy

Outer Dark is a novel at once fabular and starkly more...0 points

The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy

The Orchard Keeper by Cormac McCarthy

An American classic, The Orchard Keeper is the first more...0 points

The Group by Mary McCarthy

The Group by Mary McCarthy

McCarthy's most celebrated novel portrays the experiences more...0 points

No Country for Old Men on Blu-ray

Cormac McCarthy Movies

No Country for Old Men [Blu-ray]

Amazon Price: $6.98 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Miramax No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray)
Acclaimed filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen deliver their most gripping and ambitious film yet in this sizzling and supercharged action-thriller. When a man stumbles on a bloody crime scene, a pickup truck loaded with heroin, and two million dollars in irresistible cash, his decision to take the money sets off an unstoppable chain reaction of violence. Not even West Texas law can contain it. Based on the novel byPulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy, and featuring an acclaimed cast led by Tommy Lee Jones, this gritty game of cat and mouse will take you to the edge of your seat and beyond - right up to its heart-stopping final moment.

All the Pretty Horses DVD

Cormac McCarthy Movies

All the Pretty Horses

Amazon Price: $3.98 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

Adapted from Cormac McCarthy's award-winning novel, All the Pretty Horses cries for epic length but runs only 112 minutes for theatrical release. Drastically shortened during a lengthy stretch between production and release, this operatic drama feels as if huge chunks are missing, and what remains are fragments of a masterpiece that might have been. Unless a more definitive version is revealed, we must settle for this faint echo of McCarthy's ambitious narrative, in which dispossessed Texas rancher John Grady Cole (Matt Damon) ventures to Mexico in 1949 to revive his fading dreams of cowboy glory. With best friend Lacey Rawlins (Henry Thomas), Cole's odyssey takes him from youthful idealism to rugged, often horrific, and ultimately ennobling tests of integrity.

No Country For Old Men Trailer

Miramax Films Released

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - TRAILER
by BVHEMiramax | video info

217 ratings | 181,848 views
automatically generated by YouTube

All The Pretty Horses - Trailer

(Not The Studio Release)

Loading

Websites About Cormac McCarthy

The Cormac McCarthy Home Pages: Official Web site of the Cormac ...
Includes biographical information and author-related news.
Cormac McCarthy: A Biography
Cormac McCarthy was born in Rhode Island on July 20, 1933. He is the third of six children (the eldest son) born to Charles Joseph and Gladys Christina ...
Cormac McCarthy
Writer: No Country for Old Men. Visit IMDb for Photos, Filmography, Discussions, Bio, News, Awards, Agent, Fan Sites.
The Road: Cormac McCarthy
McCarthy gives voice to the unspeakable... His use of language is as exultant as his imaginings are hellish...This is art that both frightens and inspires. ...
Red Planet: The New Yorker
The sanguinary sublime of Cormac McCarthy. ... To read Cormac McCarthy is to enter a climate of frustration: a good day is so mysteriously followed by a bad ...
The Biography Project: Cormac McCarthy - Biography of the author ...
Biography and links for Cormac McCarthy. This is a portion of The Biography Project. Links, biographical information, bibliographies, filmographies, ...
Ten things that make Cormac McCarthy special - Times Online
Jan 20, 2008 ... Until the publication of All the Pretty Horses in 1992, Cormac McCarthy was considered the best unknown novelist in America.
Cormac McCarthy: American literature's great outsider - Features ...
Feb 26, 2008 ... Few writers have captured the grandeur and cruelty of the American frontier more vividly than Cormac McCarthy. As the film of his novel 'No ...
No Country For Old Men
No Country for Old Men Canadian Movie site.

Dictionary of Literary Biography

"Cormac McCarthy": A Biographical Essay from Gale's "Dictionary of Literary Biography, Vol. 256, Twentieth-Century American Western Writers, Third Series" (code 16)

Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 05/31/2012)Buy Now

If you are looking for the best information about a favorite literary figure, turn to "Dictionary of Literary Biography" for the finest literature reference material. Brought to you by the Gale Group--the world's leading source of reference information--this e-doc contains a biographical essay written by a noted literary expert as well as extensive primary and secondary bibliographies.

Cormac McCarthy Items At Auction

Loading

Other Movie Lens.

by Diana Romaxx

Loading

Cormac McCarthy Blog Posts

appsbar.com Recognizes "Food Emergency" as the Appsbar App of the Day
Many of appsbar's app coaches recently read Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," and realized that they were vastly under-prepared for natural disasters and other emergencies. The appsbar.com "Food Emergency" app will help teach anyone how to conserve food ...
McCarthy back on a winner
This week, in what was one of the greatest comebacks in Irish commercial history, former Ulster Bank boss Cormac McCarthy returned to the front stage of Irish business when he was appointed chief financial officer of quoted bookmaker Paddy Power.
FishHawk Road Runners Present Scholarships
By D'Ann White From left are Steve Dunn, Cormac McCarthy, Michael Babinec and Mike Conti, treasurer of the FishHawk Runners Club. Two graduating seniors will run with a lighter financial load thanks to scholarships from the FishHawk Road Runners Club.
Paddy Power names new CFO
* Cormac McCarthy quit as head of RBS's Irish unit last year * Replaces Massey who has new role as director of finance * Shares down 1.3 percent LONDON, MAY 23 - Irish bookmaker Paddy Power appointed former Ulster Bank chief executive Cormac McCarthy ...

Acumen Fund Org

If you buy something from this page you'll automatically be making a donation to The Acumen Fund, working to solve global poverty.


Share your thoughts about Cormac McCarthy! Thank You For Stopping By. Have A Great Day!

  • anarchojunglist May 1, 2011 @ 5:27 pm | delete
    I've just finished reading The Road and was totally blown away. I have Blood Meridian on my desk... Hmmm... :)
  • LabKitty Oct 27, 2010 @ 12:20 pm | delete
    It makes no difference what men think of war, said the Judge. War endures. As well ask men what they think of stone. War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner. That is the way is was and will be. That way and not some other way.

    From Blood Meridian. Simply astonishing.
  • desotoinquest Sep 16, 2009 @ 6:38 pm | delete
    When i first read McCarthy and the dropped quotation marks and apostrophes i thought, you cant do that! But when i wrote my next novel i devoted an entire page to it and not only did it work fine, it actually worked better. Narrative and dialog flow beautifully into a surreal mood like nothing else. There's a technique to it but it works fine. This summer i completed a novel written entirely in this style, and it was easily the best i've done yet.
    My favorite is "Suttree," which is the saddest. "Blood Meridian" is the best. And if cormack tried to out-Dante Dante, he succeeded.
  • Cherkowsky Feb 9, 2009 @ 10:19 pm | delete
    Great lens. I've read No Country and the Road. Good stuff.
  • BigGirlBlue Sep 11, 2008 @ 1:54 am | delete
    He's an interesting man. My husband just finished reading "The Road". He found it hard to get into at first because of the lack of punctuation but once he let go of the concept that every word must be a certain way he enjoyed the book.

by

Romaxx

Welcome, I love Squidoo because it gave me the opportunity to help one of my favorite charities, The Salvation Army, by writing about my favorite areas... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!