Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright, born on the 20th July, 1933. He has written ten novels, varying from the Southern Gothic, western, and post-apocalyptic genres. He has also written plays and screenplays. His work incudes The Road, No Country for Old Men, and Blood Meridian. Several of his films have been adapted into motion pictures.
He was one of 6 children and he changed his name to Cormac after an Irish King. He was raised Roman Catholic. He attended Catholic High School in Knoxville, then went to the University of Tennessee. His major was in liberal arts. McCarthy joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953; he spent two of his four years serving, in Alaska where he hosted a radio show.
McCarthy agreed to his first television interview in 2007, to talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. In the interview, McCarthy expresses the importance of the presence of his son in his writing of The Road. The idea for the book was born in the form of a trip he had had with his son, to El Paso. He dedicated the novel to his 8-year old son, John Francis McCarthy.
During the interview he related several stories illustrating the outright poverty he has suffered at times during his career as a writer. He also spoke about the experience of fathering a child at an advanced age, and how his now-eight-year-old son was the inspiration for The Road.
He received the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for The Road, and his 2005 novel No Country for Old Men. He received a National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award for his 1992 novel, All the Pretty Horses.
In one of his few interviews McCarthy reveals that he is not a fan of authors who do not "deal with issues of life and death,"
Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright, born on the 20th July, 1933. He has written ten novels, varying from the Southern Gothic, western, and post-apocalyptic genres. He has also written plays and screenplays. His work incudes The Road, No Country for Old Men, and Blood Meridian. Several of his films have been adapted into motion pictures.
He was one of 6 children and he changed his name to Cormac after an Irish King. He was raised Roman Catholic. He attended Catholic High School in Knoxville, then went to the University of Tennessee. His major was in liberal arts. McCarthy joined the U.S. Air Force in 1953; he spent two of his four years serving, in Alaska where he hosted a radio show.
McCarthy agreed to his first television interview in 2007, to talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. In the interview, McCarthy expresses the importance of the presence of his son in his writing of The Road. The idea for the book was born in the form of a trip he had had with his son, to El Paso. He dedicated the novel to his 8-year old son, John Francis McCarthy.
During the interview he related several stories illustrating the outright poverty he has suffered at times during his career as a writer. He also spoke about the experience of fathering a child at an advanced age, and how his now-eight-year-old son was the inspiration for The Road.
He received the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for The Road, and his 2005 novel No Country for Old Men. He received a National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award for his 1992 novel, All the Pretty Horses.
In one of his few interviews McCarthy reveals that he is not a fan of authors who do not "deal with issues of life and death,"
The Synopsis
The Road is set in a post-apocalyptic world and follows the journey of a father and son who are travelling on the road, aiming to get to the South where they believe it will be warmer and conditions will better. They're struggling to survive with the limited amount of food and supplies and the harsh weather conditions and they are wary of the 'bad guys', who resort to atrocious acts in order to survive such as cannibalism.
They come across a man who has been struck by lightening and is helpless and burnt on the road and the father refuses to help him, much to the boy's dismay. The boy seems disturbed afterwards and seems to be concerned about the man's welfare but the man reassures him that they couldn't help him as they did not have enough food for themselves
At some point they see a truck full of people, who are the 'bad guys'. In the dangerous situation, one of the man sees them and tries to harm but they manage to escape when the man shoots the cannibal in the head.
When there is a shortage of food and supplies the man and the boy enter a few houses and come across a basement, full of captives that are to be harvested. They are horrified by the sight they see and soon they hear the owners of the house returning and so flee the scene in order to escape the same fate as the captives.
The man is predicting his death due to the bad conditions and they boy and man are near starving when he finds apples in an orchard and water, which keeps them going for a little longer until they find a bunker underground filled with canned food and supplies. The two stays there for three days but in the fear of getting caught the man insists on packing their supplies and setting out on the road again. The man at this point begins to get very sick and starts coughing blood. The boy finds a house and they stay there for another few days with supplies like clothes and blankets.
They leave the house and start travelling towards the beach where they find a wrecked ship full of food and supplies, such as a flare pistol and batteries. The boy starts to get sick with a fever and the man is trying to maintain his health and keep him alive. Soon after someone comes and steals their cart and supplies, they trace the thief down and catch up to him. The thief begs for mercy whilst the man makes him strip. The boy is upset with how his father treated the thief.
They continue to travel when the man suddenly gets shot with an arrow from a man in a house. The man stitches his wound himself however his health deteriorates and eventually is not able to carry on. He tells the boy to go on without him but the boy refuses and stays by his side. The man dies and the boy stays there for three days grieving his father’s death.
A guy finds the boy and offers him to join their family. The boy accepts after saying goodbye to his father. The novel ends on a note of mystery with no definite ending but with the hint of a regeneration of a new world.
The Road is set in a post-apocalyptic world and follows the journey of a father and son who are travelling on the road, aiming to get to the South where they believe it will be warmer and conditions will better. They're struggling to survive with the limited amount of food and supplies and the harsh weather conditions and they are wary of the 'bad guys', who resort to atrocious acts in order to survive such as cannibalism.
They come across a man who has been struck by lightening and is helpless and burnt on the road and the father refuses to help him, much to the boy's dismay. The boy seems disturbed afterwards and seems to be concerned about the man's welfare but the man reassures him that they couldn't help him as they did not have enough food for themselves
At some point they see a truck full of people, who are the 'bad guys'. In the dangerous situation, one of the man sees them and tries to harm but they manage to escape when the man shoots the cannibal in the head.
When there is a shortage of food and supplies the man and the boy enter a few houses and come across a basement, full of captives that are to be harvested. They are horrified by the sight they see and soon they hear the owners of the house returning and so flee the scene in order to escape the same fate as the captives.
The man is predicting his death due to the bad conditions and they boy and man are near starving when he finds apples in an orchard and water, which keeps them going for a little longer until they find a bunker underground filled with canned food and supplies. The two stays there for three days but in the fear of getting caught the man insists on packing their supplies and setting out on the road again. The man at this point begins to get very sick and starts coughing blood. The boy finds a house and they stay there for another few days with supplies like clothes and blankets.
They leave the house and start travelling towards the beach where they find a wrecked ship full of food and supplies, such as a flare pistol and batteries. The boy starts to get sick with a fever and the man is trying to maintain his health and keep him alive. Soon after someone comes and steals their cart and supplies, they trace the thief down and catch up to him. The thief begs for mercy whilst the man makes him strip. The boy is upset with how his father treated the thief.
They continue to travel when the man suddenly gets shot with an arrow from a man in a house. The man stitches his wound himself however his health deteriorates and eventually is not able to carry on. He tells the boy to go on without him but the boy refuses and stays by his side. The man dies and the boy stays there for three days grieving his father’s death.
A guy finds the boy and offers him to join their family. The boy accepts after saying goodbye to his father. The novel ends on a note of mystery with no definite ending but with the hint of a regeneration of a new world.