You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.
Cormac McCarthy – The Road
Memory’s Selective Nature
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Cormac McCarthy, born Charles McCarthy Jr. on July 20, 1933, in Providence, Rhode Island, is an American novelist known for his stark, often bleak portrayals of the human condition in works that blend elements of Southern Gothic, Western, and post-apocalyptic literature. Raised in Tennessee, McCarthy attended the University of Tennessee, where he studied liberal arts before serving in the U.S. Air Force. He published his first novel, “The Orchard Keeper,” in 1965, followed by several others, including “Blood Meridian,” “All the Pretty Horses,” and “No Country for Old Men.” McCarthy’s writing is characterized by its spare, poetic prose, exploration of existential themes, and unflinching examination of violence and morality. He has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “The Road” in 2007.