I’m e rathke, the author of a number of books. Many of you are here because of Howl so today’s post is perfect for you. Learn more about what you signed up for here. Go here to manage your email notifications. Have you heard about Cormac McCarthy? Whether you believe he needs an introduction or not is immaterial because he was one of the greatest whose life overlapped with mine. He only published twelve books during his lifetime which led the good man
You have inspired me to read The Road! I particularly like how you describe the book’s effect on you, caught between grieving over the blighted world in which your kids will grow up, and grieving over the conversations you will never have with your dad. I hope the book gave you some solace, or at least helped you to feel those feelings. It sounds like it did.
Reading this I have suddenly realised that your prose reminds me of McCarthy to some degree. Not sure how I didn’t make this connection before, but makes total sense now
Thanks you! That's a very generous thing to say, ha
I've been thinking about writing about this, actually. I think the biggest influences on my writing are James Joyce and Cormac McCarthy, which I find interesting because I don't write anything like Joyce and mostly discovered McCarthy after I was already accidentally writing sort of like him. I think it was, in part, what drew me to him, though it wasn't until this year that I finally read all his novels.
But I have a lot to say on this topic! Maybe even I'll write it out later this month.
Look forward to you exploring it. McCarthy’s prose is so infectious I think one can’t but help try to imitate him after reading his words. Unfortunately it’s really hard to do this, such a master wordsmith was he, so most people’s attempt falls flat. But not so with your writing!
For my sins I still haven’t got around to reading any Joyce yet 😬😬
Oct 7, 2023·edited Oct 7, 2023Liked by radicaledward
Thank you for your correct opinion on The Irishman!!
I was someone who read Blood Meridian because of Harold Bloom. It's interesting because as someone who knows Bloom's writing very well, I'd say his comments on Blood Meridian are some of his most middling in terms of critical insight, at least in my memory of reading them. He did a good job selling the book to people and was fascinated by the affinity with Melville, but I think he mostly just loved The Judge.
Based on your list here ... I feel like I should read Suttree!
Thanks for the shout-out. That's very kind of you.
I had to skim this carefully to avoid being pre-opinionated about the books of his I haven't gotten to yet. Not sure I agree about Child of God being a "bad one," but if we're conducting a thought experiment in which some of McCarthy's books have to be in a "bad" tier, then yeah, I reluctantly would slot it in there.
The Road was also my first Cormac McCarthy book. I also read it in one sprint of a sitting, in the first years of my twenties. For a college class. I felt wrecked and ruined and wrung out, but also inspired by the poetry of its prose.
In class, all us eager, sweet young Hoosiers were all a little shell-shocked by The Road. I still remember our Professor sharing that, in his opinion, The Road was McCarthy's most optimistic and hopeful novel.
I haven't done the reading to confirm if that's true, but in a twisted way I can see where he's coming from based on what I have read.
Interesting! I could see this as his most optimistic.
I think the ending, despite being crushing, is a statement of hope.
William Gibson has said that Neuromancer is not a dystopia but a vision of hope, because it imagines a future at all. Maybe the same could be said of The Road.
Yeah, after reading a few other McCarthy books, I can see where The Road could be the most optimistic. The engine of the story is unconditional love, hope against all odds, and even the forming of a community. It figures that Cormac had to end the entire world to allow himself to get so sweet.
I saw the movie first too, which I think actually added to how much I like the book (for me it was only a year or two after, though.) Rarely is there a book more perfectly adapted, despite the changes, there are scenes you can actually see as the movie as you read and it actually DOESN'T SUCK. Off the top 0f my head, the only other book/movie pair up that perfect is The Princess Bride.
Yeah, agreed. One of the interesting parts of this is that McCarthy originally wrote it as a screenplay. He was unable to sell it so he adapted his original screenplay into the novel it now is. And the novel does read very cinematically.
I don't know if the Coen's used or referenced the original screenplay, but it is funny that a book that was a screenplay became best known as a movie.
I read blood meridian every year or so. Haven't read his new ones yet but will start soon. I've read every other one and agree with alot of what you've said. You watch his movie, The Counselor?
Disagree about Blood Meridian. Who is your audience you are telling don't need? Not sure who the dorks are that wrongly think this a great book. (Or I'm a dork). It came out after Suttree so I picked it up to read when I was making a speech at the Austin State University bookstore in Nacogdoches. Maybe they thought it put them on the map. (Did not need Bloom to suggest to me.)
But I think if you're only going to read one of his books, this isn't really the right one (though, for many, it probably IS the one they read). I also, at this point, don't think it even needs a recommendation. It's certainly his most acclaimed novel and much of his reputation will rest upon this single novel. But I think All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and especially Suttree are the McCarthyest books and also his best.
Suttree, especially, seems like the true gargantuan achievement of his career.
I don't know if I'd recommend it --because it will never leave you. Today with the war it seems so prescient. I don't think a day goes by something from _The Road_ stirs a sense of deep concern in me.
I think that one may be one of my least favorite, but it's fascinating to see how he began his career. His love of scenery and larger systems of people, the character of a place and time--it's all there.
I am a total sucker for formative or first novels. There's something special to me about looking for the infancy of a writer's voice growing among the more imitative elements.
You have inspired me to read The Road! I particularly like how you describe the book’s effect on you, caught between grieving over the blighted world in which your kids will grow up, and grieving over the conversations you will never have with your dad. I hope the book gave you some solace, or at least helped you to feel those feelings. It sounds like it did.
Reading this I have suddenly realised that your prose reminds me of McCarthy to some degree. Not sure how I didn’t make this connection before, but makes total sense now
Thanks you! That's a very generous thing to say, ha
I've been thinking about writing about this, actually. I think the biggest influences on my writing are James Joyce and Cormac McCarthy, which I find interesting because I don't write anything like Joyce and mostly discovered McCarthy after I was already accidentally writing sort of like him. I think it was, in part, what drew me to him, though it wasn't until this year that I finally read all his novels.
But I have a lot to say on this topic! Maybe even I'll write it out later this month.
Look forward to you exploring it. McCarthy’s prose is so infectious I think one can’t but help try to imitate him after reading his words. Unfortunately it’s really hard to do this, such a master wordsmith was he, so most people’s attempt falls flat. But not so with your writing!
For my sins I still haven’t got around to reading any Joyce yet 😬😬
Thank you for your correct opinion on The Irishman!!
I was someone who read Blood Meridian because of Harold Bloom. It's interesting because as someone who knows Bloom's writing very well, I'd say his comments on Blood Meridian are some of his most middling in terms of critical insight, at least in my memory of reading them. He did a good job selling the book to people and was fascinated by the affinity with Melville, but I think he mostly just loved The Judge.
Based on your list here ... I feel like I should read Suttree!
Suttree is definitely the one for you!
Thanks for the shout-out. That's very kind of you.
I had to skim this carefully to avoid being pre-opinionated about the books of his I haven't gotten to yet. Not sure I agree about Child of God being a "bad one," but if we're conducting a thought experiment in which some of McCarthy's books have to be in a "bad" tier, then yeah, I reluctantly would slot it in there.
Ha, well, I do suppose this is a relative scale!
The Road was also my first Cormac McCarthy book. I also read it in one sprint of a sitting, in the first years of my twenties. For a college class. I felt wrecked and ruined and wrung out, but also inspired by the poetry of its prose.
In class, all us eager, sweet young Hoosiers were all a little shell-shocked by The Road. I still remember our Professor sharing that, in his opinion, The Road was McCarthy's most optimistic and hopeful novel.
I haven't done the reading to confirm if that's true, but in a twisted way I can see where he's coming from based on what I have read.
Thanks for this post!
Interesting! I could see this as his most optimistic.
I think the ending, despite being crushing, is a statement of hope.
William Gibson has said that Neuromancer is not a dystopia but a vision of hope, because it imagines a future at all. Maybe the same could be said of The Road.
Yeah, after reading a few other McCarthy books, I can see where The Road could be the most optimistic. The engine of the story is unconditional love, hope against all odds, and even the forming of a community. It figures that Cormac had to end the entire world to allow himself to get so sweet.
Classic Cormac!
NCFOM was my first McCarthy and it's still my favourite.
Oooo, interesting.
How did you feel about the movie?
Love it. Between that movie and There Will Be Blood, 2007 was fantastic for movies. I don't like some of the changes but I understand why they did it.
See, I think the contraction of the ending was actually a vast improvement over the novel!
Of course, I also read the novel 15 years after watching the movie.
And, man, I sure do love There Will Be Blood! One of my all time favorites.
I saw the movie first too, which I think actually added to how much I like the book (for me it was only a year or two after, though.) Rarely is there a book more perfectly adapted, despite the changes, there are scenes you can actually see as the movie as you read and it actually DOESN'T SUCK. Off the top 0f my head, the only other book/movie pair up that perfect is The Princess Bride.
Yeah, agreed. One of the interesting parts of this is that McCarthy originally wrote it as a screenplay. He was unable to sell it so he adapted his original screenplay into the novel it now is. And the novel does read very cinematically.
I don't know if the Coen's used or referenced the original screenplay, but it is funny that a book that was a screenplay became best known as a movie.
I'm not sure either, but they did a fantastic job of it.
I read blood meridian every year or so. Haven't read his new ones yet but will start soon. I've read every other one and agree with alot of what you've said. You watch his movie, The Counselor?
I haven't seen The Counselor. I've heard pretty mixed things!
Any good?
Worth a watch! It's very strange and not a typical Hollywood movie. Feels like McCarthy, but I havent seen it in a long time.
Disagree about Blood Meridian. Who is your audience you are telling don't need? Not sure who the dorks are that wrongly think this a great book. (Or I'm a dork). It came out after Suttree so I picked it up to read when I was making a speech at the Austin State University bookstore in Nacogdoches. Maybe they thought it put them on the map. (Did not need Bloom to suggest to me.)
Oh, I DO think it's a great book!
But I think if you're only going to read one of his books, this isn't really the right one (though, for many, it probably IS the one they read). I also, at this point, don't think it even needs a recommendation. It's certainly his most acclaimed novel and much of his reputation will rest upon this single novel. But I think All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and especially Suttree are the McCarthyest books and also his best.
Suttree, especially, seems like the true gargantuan achievement of his career.
I see, sort like..we don't need to talk about Paradise Lost, let's talk about Samson Agonistes.
(Though of course w/ Blood Meridian some say Glanton is right up there with Milton's Satan).
Never read 'The Road' but watched the movie. Haunting, bittersweet and very good, although hard to watch.
If you thought the movie was good and hard to watch, wait until you read the book!
I don't know if I'd recommend it --because it will never leave you. Today with the war it seems so prescient. I don't think a day goes by something from _The Road_ stirs a sense of deep concern in me.
I'm reading The Orchard Keeper right now. It's very good.
I think that one may be one of my least favorite, but it's fascinating to see how he began his career. His love of scenery and larger systems of people, the character of a place and time--it's all there.
I am a total sucker for formative or first novels. There's something special to me about looking for the infancy of a writer's voice growing among the more imitative elements.
Definitely agree. I also found it very interesting and fascinating to read all his books in order this year.
His connection to the Santa Fe Institute is very intriguing.
Definitely agree. I think the way he has persistently remained aloof from the writing world helped him as a writer.