Cormack McCarthy

For most people, his name doesn’t ring a bell. However, McCarthy's work speaks for him, as both The Road and No Country for Old Men were turned into acclaimed motion pictures (thus gaining widespread attention). As far as I’m concerned, he’s one of the essential writers of our age. He's certainly my favourite!

 

 

 

His novels vary in genre: Southern Gothic (Child of God, Outer Dark), Western (Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain, No Country for Old Men) or Post-Apocalyptic (The Road), the man masters it all.

The first book I ever read of McCarthy was All the Pretty Horses. Though labeled a Western, it is more a coming-of-age and love story with beautiful references to Mexican history. I believe this work to be an ideal introduction to the man's writings. It is less bleak and more romantic than his earlier works. At the same time it deals with typical McCarthy themes: the inevitability of suffering and violence and the flaws in human nature. The work was brilliant, prompting me to immediately read The Crossing and Cities of the Plain as well.

His works are philosophical and moving. Take The Road or No Country for Old Men for instance: In the former a father tries to teach his son morals in a post-apocalyptical setting of declining civilization (Within a year there were fires on the ridges and deranged chanting), in the latter an old-time sheriff witnesses the inevitable decay of his count(r)y, personified by the sociopath Chigurh.

Admittedly, his novels are quite dark but they're allways relevant, thrilling and a great read!



P.S.: I almost forgot, the man is also a playwright. Here's a great quote from The Sunset Limited - a story of an deeply religious ex-con trying to prevent an atheistic professor from killing himself:

Even God gives up at some point. There's no ministry in hell that I ever heard of.