Cormac McCarthy, author of No Country For Old Men and The Road, has passed away at the age of 89. The American author is best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning post-apocalyptic novel The Road, which was adapted into the film of the same name by director John Hillcoat. McCarthy also wrote No Country for Old Men, which was adapted into the Best Picture-winning film of the same name by the Coen brothers. In addition to twelve novels, McCarthy also wrote two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories spanning the apocalyptic and Western genres.As reported by The Washington Post, Cormac McCarthy passed away at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 89 years old. His publisher, Penguin Random House, announced that his death was from natural causes, according to his son John McCarthy. Stephen King, among others, reacted to the news of McCarthy’s passing:
Cormac McCarthy’s Legacy Explained
Though he leaves behind a legendary body of work that will have a lasting impact on contemporary literature, McCarthy lived his life out of the public eye and rarely gave interviews. The author endured decades of obscurity and poverty before his novel All the Pretty Horses won the National Book Award in 1992, though the film adaptation directed by Billy Bob Thornton wasn’t received well by critics or audiences. The book was the first installment in McCarthy’s Border trilogy, followed by The Crossing and Cities of the Plain.
Subsequent film adaptations of McCarthy’s work fared much better, including The Road, a powerful but bleak movie that saw modest box office returns despite positive reviews. No Country for Old Men was adapted into a modern masterpiece by the Coen brothers, winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture, which solidified McCarthy as a master storyteller.
Before his death, a movie adaptation of Blood Meridian with Hillcoat attached as director was finally set in motion following years in development hell. Many consider the novel to be McCarthy’s magnum opus in addition to being unfilmable. With No Country For Old Men and The Road, McCarthy leaves behind an incredible body of bleak but poignant work, including some additional stories that should be adapted to the screen after his death.
