Cormac McCarthy (1933–2023) was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a young man he served in the U.S. Air Force before attending the University of Tennessee, where he began publishing fiction. His early novels, including The Orchard Keeper (1965) and Outer Dark (1968), established his distinctive voice and earned critical attention, though modest commercial success.

Over the following decades, McCarthy produced some of the most influential American fiction of the late twentieth century. His novels are known for their spare punctuation, lyrical intensity, and unflinching depictions of violence, morality, and survival. Major works include Blood Meridian, The Border Trilogy, No Country for Old Men—later adapted into an Academy Award–winning film by the Coen brothers—and The Road, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007.

In addition to novels, McCarthy wrote plays and screenplays and maintained a private life largely removed from literary circles. He spent many years living in the American Southwest and later in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of his era, McCarthy left behind a body of work that continues to shape contemporary literature and provoke serious critical study.

This slightly abridged bio is taken from the Cormac McCarthy Society website.