Iconic American author Cormac McCarthy died Tuesday at his Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, according to his publisher. He was 89 years old.
McCarthy won acclaim for his lyrical style, titanic vocabulary and haunting portraits of evil and despair.
BREAKING NEWS: Cormac McCarthy, a preeminent voice in American literature over the better part of the past half-century, died today at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., his publisher, Knopf, confirmed. He was 89. Full obit to follow.
— Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) June 13, 2023
An inaugural winner of the MacArthur “Genius” grant, McCarthy was honored with the National Book Critic Circle Award for his 1992 novel “All the Pretty Horses,” and the Pulitzer Prize for his 2006 novel “The Road,” among other recognitions.
His other works included “Child of God” (1973), “Blood Meridian” (1985), the play “The Sunset Limited” (2006) and the screenplay for the 2013 film “The Counselor.” The Coen brothers’ film adaptation of McCarthy’s 2006 novel “No Country for Old Men” won the Academy Award for Best Picture. (RELATED: Learn How To Write Your Own Fiction Novel With The Help Of These Online Classes)
After news of McCarthy’s death broke, Stephen King took to Twitter, describing him as “maybe the greatest American novelist of my time.”
McCarthy’s last two novels, “The Passenger” and “Stella Maris,” were published in Oct. and Nov. 2022 respectively.
The reclusive author generally avoided interviews and shunned book tours and speaking events, according to the Washington Post.