I
remember in grammar school the teacher asked if anyone had any hobbies. I was
the only one with any hobbies and I had every hobby there was... name anything,
no matter how esoteric. I could have given everyone a hobby and still had 40 or
50 to take home. – Cormac McCarthy
Born this date in 1933, McCarthy
said one of those early interests was his Irish heritage. That sparked his interest in having his name changed - from his given name of Charles to Cormac, after the
legendary Irish King, which coincidentally also means “Son of Charles.”
He gravitated to writing early,
making use of his knowledge of so many things.
In addition to dozens of short stories, he has written 10 novels, spanning
everything from Southern Gothic to Western to Post-Apocalyptic genres. 
For his efforts he’s won numerous awards
including both a Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for
Fiction for The Road, also adapted to
film. Many of his other books also have been
made into films, led by the Academy Award winning No Country for Old Men and All
the Pretty Horses, winner of both the National Book Award and a National
Book Critics Circle Award.
For his efforts he’s won numerous awards
including both a Pulitzer Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for
Fiction for The Road, also adapted to
film. Many of his other books also have been
made into films, led by the Academy Award winning No Country for Old Men and All
the Pretty Horses, winner of both the National Book Award and a National
Book Critics Circle Award.
One
of McCarthy’s writing traits is his adamant non-use of quotation marks for
dialogue. He said there is no reason to
"blot the page up with weird little marks." He also shuns computers, writing on an Olivetti
typewriter and often working on several projects at once. “Even
if what you're working on doesn't go anywhere,” he said, “it will help you with the next thing you're
doing.”
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