Cormac McCarthy: Master of Darkness

Cormac McCarthy, one of the great novelists of American literature, died on June 13, 2023, at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the age of 89. He was known for his dark and stark writing style, often exploring themes of evil and history. McCarthy was born in Rhode Island but grew up in the South, and he embarked on a writing career, changing his name from Charles to Cormac so as not to be confused with ventriloquist Edgar Bergen’s famous dummy Charlie McCarthy.

McCarthy’s second novel, “Outer Dark,” was about a woman who bears her brother’s baby, and he leaves it in the woods to die. His writing style was often described as unique and unparalleled, with J.T. Barbarese, a professor of English and writing at Rutgers University, calling him “if not our greatest novelist, certainly our greatest stylist”.

News of his death prompted tributes from fellow writers, including Stephen King, who hailed McCarthy as “maybe the greatest American novelist of my time.