Cormac McCarthy, Legendary Author Behind 'No Country For Old Men,' Has Died

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of legendary author Cormac McCarthy. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author has passed away at the age of 89. Cormac’s son, John McCarthy, confirmed his death.

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Cormac McCarthy is an excellent author behind some of the most compelling stories, which include Blood Meridian Or The Evening Redness in the West, The Road, and No Country For Old Men. McCarthy won the Pulitzer in Fiction for The Road.

Cormac McCarthy’s Origins in Writing

McCarthy began his writing career in 1965 when his first novel, The Orchard Keeper, was published. He initially enrolled at the University of Tennessee in 1951 before leaving behind college life for a career in the United States Air Force in 1953. At the University of Tennessee, he began his love for writing after a professor asked him to repunctuate a collection of 18th-century essays for inclusion in a textbook.

He eventually returned to college in 1957, publishing his first two stories: “Wake for Susan” and “A Drowning Incident.”

Random House would publish his debut novel, The Orchard Keeper, leading McCarthy and publisher Albert Erskine to edit his work for the next 20 years.

The Orchard Keeper would land McCarthy an William Faulkner Foundation Award for “first notable novel.”

His second novel, The Outer Dark, received favorable reviews in 1968.

It wasn’t until 1985 when Cormac McCarthy wrote his third novel, Blood Meridian Or The Evening Redness in the West, leading to more acclaim for the author. However, though the novel was initially pegged as being far “too violent,” it has appeared on several lists calling it one of the “greatest American novels.”

McCarthy began to acquire national renown when he wrote his famous “Border Trilogy,” which featured All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain. All the Pretty Horses became a New York Times Best Seller, selling over 190,000 hardcover copies six months after its release.

No Country for Old Men and The Road would follow, becoming two of his most notable works. The Road would lead to a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006.

McCarthy became a voice for the Western and Post Apocalyptic genres throughout his writing career, often writing with little to no punctuation and attribution. His works were adapted into feature films, including the highly successful Coen Brothers’ adaptation of No Country for Old Men.

Cormac McCarthy Adaptations

Throughout his illustrious career, All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and No Country for Old Men were adapted into full-length features.

No Country for Old Men became his most notable adapted work, as the story was initially a screenplay that McCarthy wrote before he turned it into a novel. The story follows Llewelyn Moss as he is roped into a drug deal gone wrong. Moss must now evade capture by a psychotic hitman named Anton Chigurh.

The Coen Brothers adapted the novel and released the film in 2007. They cast Joshn Brolin as Llewelyn Moss and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh.

The film would be nominated for eight Academy Awards, bringing in Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Road was also released in 2009, though it held far less notoriety than No Country for Old Men. The Road follows a father and son who must evade cannibalistic gangs in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee starred in the film as Man and Boy, respectively.

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Cormac McCarthy is said to be one of the greatest contemporary American authors, and his works speak for themselves. Rest in peace to a legend.

Which Cormac McCarthy adaptation do you love the most? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!