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Cormac McCarthy .. R I P

LincsaddickLincsaddick
in Not Sports Related
The author of (e.g.) 'Blood Meridian', 'No Country for Old Men' and 'The Road' has died aged 89

By coincidence I am half way through 'The Passenger', his penultimate novel, in which he philosophises and theorises a lot about the development of the atom bomb, as well as his usual obsession with death and deep conspiracies as well as about Knoxville, Tennessee where he grew up .. the book is strange, and he 'rambles' a lot as well as making some VERY pertinent comments about contemporary U S society. A fitting autobiographical epitaph perhaps

A well regarded author by many who managed to get 'literary fiction' into the best seller lists ..  his books ? .. never an easy read, but always an interesting one i m o

R I P

Comments

  • soapy_jonessoapy_jones
    edited June 2023
    Great American author.  RIP
  • AllHailTheHenAllHailTheHen
    Only read The Road but loved the story and how it was written. Do need to read more of his works. RIP
  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    edited June 2023
    North Lower Neil said:
    Great author.

    The books I've read of his (The Road, No Country for Old Men, and the three from the Border Trilogy) all stayed with me a long time after reading them, always the sign of great writing for me.

    We're the latest two 'Passenger' just intended as 2 connected books does anyone know, or has he potentially died with a trilogy, series unfinished?

    RIP.

    this from wiki ..  The Passenger and Stella Maris, were published on October 25, 2022, and December 6, 2022, respectively.[7] .. UNQUOTE .. very unusually for any professional author, he rushed the two publications almost together,  .. no mention of a 3rd  .. I alluded to it above, I do wonder if C M knew or had an inkling they would be his last work and hence the rush to publish Stella Maris ? .. alas i m o, The Passenger does not hold up as well as most other of his works I've read .. I'll still buy Stella Maris though
  • RedPandaRedPanda
    I think I've read all of his novels except for The Border Trilogy where I tailed off during the second book.

    Blood Meridian is my favourite. It has one of the most unique and arguably best endings ever. Worth the long slog and many pages describing how hot the sun was that day. 
  • North Lower NeilNorth Lower Neil
    Lincsaddick said:
    North Lower Neil said:
    Great author.

    The books I've read of his (The Road, No Country for Old Men, and the three from the Border Trilogy) all stayed with me a long time after reading them, always the sign of great writing for me.

    We're the latest two 'Passenger' just intended as 2 connected books does anyone know, or has he potentially died with a trilogy, series unfinished?

    RIP.

    this from wiki ..  The Passenger and Stella Maris, were published on October 25, 2022, and December 6, 2022, respectively.[7] .. UNQUOTE .. very unusually for any professional author, he rushed the two publications almost together,  .. no mention of a 3rd  .. I alluded to it above, I do wonder if C M knew or had an inkling they would be his last work and hence the rush to publish Stella Maris ? .. alas i m o, The Passenger does not hold up as well as most other of his works I've read .. I'll still buy Stella Maris though
    Thank you!
  • WheresmeticketWheresmeticket
    edited June 2023
    What a fucking shit week.

    A genuine great.
  • SDAddickSDAddick
    edited June 2023
    RedPanda said:
    I think I've read all of his novels except for The Border Trilogy where I tailed off during the second book.

    Blood Meridian is my favourite. It has one of the most unique and arguably best endings ever. Worth the long slog and many pages describing how hot the sun was that day. 
    That's good to know. I made it through about halfway and stopped. It's...a lot.

    I love his work. He feels like the last in a strain of great American novelists from Hemingway to Faulkner to Sallinger (I would argue less so but that's another conversation) and then McCarthy (maybe Pynchon is the last, but I feel like he lives a little outsider of that strain. I can feel the influence of Hemingway and Faulkner on McCarthy in a way I can't really with Pynchon, who is a great writer). 

    He wrote about the American southwest the way Faulkner wrote about the American south and Hemingway did Spain.

    A true master of his craft. 
  • AlgarveaddickAlgarveaddick
    RIP.
  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    North Lower Neil said:
    Lincsaddick said:
    North Lower Neil said:
    Great author.

    The books I've read of his (The Road, No Country for Old Men, and the three from the Border Trilogy) all stayed with me a long time after reading them, always the sign of great writing for me.

    We're the latest two 'Passenger' just intended as 2 connected books does anyone know, or has he potentially died with a trilogy, series unfinished?

    RIP.

    this from wiki ..  The Passenger and Stella Maris, were published on October 25, 2022, and December 6, 2022, respectively.[7] .. UNQUOTE .. very unusually for any professional author, he rushed the two publications almost together,  .. no mention of a 3rd  .. I alluded to it above, I do wonder if C M knew or had an inkling they would be his last work and hence the rush to publish Stella Maris ? .. alas i m o, The Passenger does not hold up as well as most other of his works I've read .. I'll still buy Stella Maris though
    Thank you!
    having now finished the novel, I can say that like the curate's bad egg .. The Passenger is VERY good in parts AWordADay --curates egg
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  • Karim_myBagheriKarim_myBagheri
    edited June 2023
    Strange coincidence. Watched The Road on the night he died. 

    One of my favourite books I've read in my lifetime is all the pretty horses. Absolutely love that book and I recommend it to any who loves any of his other works. 

    RIP to a great American author. 
  • North Lower NeilNorth Lower Neil
    edited June 2023
    Karim_myBagheri said:
    Strange coincidence. Watched The Road on the night he died. 

    One of my favourite books I've read in my lifetime is all the pretty horses. Absolutely love that book and I recommend it to any who loves any of his other works. 

    RIP to a great American author. 
    Interesting on ATPH, I enjoyed it the most out of the 3, but I've seen a few comments since saying it's people's least favourite.
  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    In a week when several noteworthy people have passed, today's Times has very readable obituaries for Cormac McCarthy and John Hollins
  • Karim_myBagheriKarim_myBagheri
    North Lower Neil said:
    Karim_myBagheri said:
    Strange coincidence. Watched The Road on the night he died. 

    One of my favourite books I've read in my lifetime is all the pretty horses. Absolutely love that book and I recommend it to any who loves any of his other works. 

    RIP to a great American author. 
    Interesting on ATPH, I enjoyed it the most out of the 3, but I've seen a few comments since saying it's people least favourite.
    It might be because it's quite slow. For me it was very imagery. 
  • JintsJints
    I loved the Road, the Border Trilogy and No Country. I know Blood Meridian is probably the highest hated of all his books but I admired it rather than liked it. I have a fairly strong stomach but it was too visceral for me. 

    Ordered Suttree on the kindle yesterday and looking forward to it.
  • LincsaddickLincsaddick
    Jints said:
    I loved the Road, the Border Trilogy and No Country. I know Blood Meridian is probably the highest hated of all his books but I admired it rather than liked it. I have a fairly strong stomach but it was too visceral for me. 

    Ordered Suttree on the kindle yesterday and looking forward to it.
    I've read a lot of his work (can't name them all, it's been over a lot of years)  but agree that overall, as a straight out 'good read' rather than a work to be admired for its scope, those I enjoyed most were probably his most deliberately 'commercial books', ,   No Country For Old Men and the Road .. as you say perhaps the least super violent and graphic of his novels. 'The Passenger' is also toned down and for him low key (Mustn't get, too much into giving the games away)
    Evidently, he didn't sell many books until he was in his 50s, Blood Meridian sold, very few the first time round then, he was 'discovered', became VERY popular and found fame n fortune
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