Cormac McCarthy died today at 89 years of age. A few years ago I would have guessed he was already dead, until he released two new books last fall. He was certainly not the most public figure.
I’ve mentioned here a few times that he was probably my favorite writer. His writing is not always easy to get through; you have to be in the right frame of mind to tackle his books. But the payoff is magnificent.
My favorite book by him changes all the time, but I’d put Blood Meridian, The Crossing, All the Pretty Horses, and The Road in the top tier. Only slightly below that would be No Country for Old Men and The Passenger.
I was amused by the WaPo article about his death, which in an attempt to communicate what his books are like, states “The novel has a scene in which dead babies are found hanging from a tree.” Yeah, that’s a good point of reference.
Another good quote from McCarthy that sums up his worldview:
There’s no such thing as life without bloodshed. I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom. Your desire that it be that way will enslave you and make your life vacuous.
It was a pretty faithful retelling of the plot, and it got the tone right. The movie loses the poetry of his language, but that’s to be expected.
I was very happy that it got something right (even if it was something that seemed to piss off some movie-goers): in the book, as in the movie, (MAJOR SPOILER) the death of Llewelyn Moss is not described and is handled very matter-of-factly. It emphasizes that the story wasn’t about him; it was about Sheriff Ed Tom Bell.
If No Country left you sad, then Cormac McCarthy is not for you. I haven’t read that book, but the movie is kittens and butterflies compared to The Road or Blood Meridian.
Blood Meridian is a masterpiece. It’s one of those works that defies comparison to other novels. He’s so hopeless in his depiction of human cruelty and absurdity that his prose needs to be compelling to keep one reading. It is.
The one complaint I have with McCarthy’s work is how often he had extended passages of Spanish dialogue. Not the odd phrase or comment. Multiple paragraphs. Did he expect an English reader to hire a translator? That seemed like an affectation to me. Not enough to stop me from devouring his books, however.
I’ve read quite a few of his books. I’m not sure I was able to finish Blood Meridien. It is truly one of the bleakest representations of not only humanity, but of the unrelenting misery of the Texas landscape.
It is entirely accurate, and it is not the only brutal thing in Blood Meridian. And it absolutely is not for everyone, which is why I liked that they used this as an example of his writing. In one sentence, they tell you what you’re in for.
But I wouldn’t describe it as a variety of porn. It’s very much the opposite. The violence in Blood Meridian and the apocalyptic horror in The Road is not meant to titillate and provide enjoyment. It’s a brutal argument against the porn of other books. Stories of post-apocalyptic survival can make it sound glorious and like an adventure. The Road is great because it says nah, that’s BS. Here’s the reality. Blood Meridian says no, the western cowboys and colonization of the West was not a beautiful thing. It was awful.
Also, the heart of The Road is not the post-apocalypse wasteland, but the love of the man for his son. It stuck with me like almost no other book.
No Country for Old Men is my favourite book/movie combo. Both are excellent. I loved All the Pretty Horses also, must re-read it.RIP to a great writer.
