# Cormac McCarthy had a 17-year old muse **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [November 22, 2024, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cormac-mccarthy-had-a-17-year-old-muse/1010582 "2024-11-22T02:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cormac-mccarthy-had-a-17-year-old-muse/1010582/1 "2024-11-22T02:08:28Z")
Continuing the discussion from [Cormac McCarthy has died (13 June 2023)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cormac-mccarthy-has-died-13-june-2023/985448): Vanity Fair reported yesterday that McCarthy had a relationship with a 17 year old that started in 1977 when he was 43. She evidently was his “muse” and inspiration for several of his characters. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It clearly fits today’s definition of grooming, and I don’t think that 1977 makes it that much better. But there’s more nuance to the whole story than just the headline. Anyway, it’s interesting reading for McCarthy fans. No matter where you land on things, it’s a very McCarthy-esque story. > **[Cormac McCarthy’s Secret Muse Breaks Her Silence After Half a Century: “I...](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/cormac-mccarthy-secret-muse-exclusive)** > > When he was 42, Cormac McCarthy fell in love with a 16-year-old girl he met by a motel pool. Augusta Britt would go on to become one of the most significant—and secret—inspirations in literary history, giving life to many of McCarthy’s most iconic... --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cormac-mccarthy-had-a-17-year-old-muse/1010582)._