- Born 20 July 1933 in Rhode Island to Roman Catholics Charles Joseph and Gladys Christina McGrail McCarthy
- Has 3 sisters and 2 brothers
- Originally named Charles after father but renamed himself Cormac after Irish King, which also means "son of Charles" in Gaelic
- 1937- moved to Knoxville when 4 years old for his father
- 1967- moved to Washington, D.C. because of his father
- Went to Catholic High School (Knoxville) then to University of Tennessee (1951-1952), majoring in liberal arts
- 1953- joined the US Air Force, serving 4 years
- 2 years in Alaska, hosting a radio show
- 1957-1959- published 2 stories: "A Drowning Incident" and "Wake for Susan" in the literary magazineThe Phoenix under the name C.J. McCarthy, Jr.
- 1959 and 1960- won Ingram-Merrill Award for creative writing
- Worked as auto mechanic in Chicago while writing first novel
- Married Lee Holleman and lived in Sevier County, Tennessee where they had a son, Cullen
- The Orchard Keeper (1956)- first published novel
- Met Anne DeLisle while visiting Ireland and married in 1966 in England
- Moved back to America to Rockford, Tennessee 1967
- Outer Dark (1968)- 2nd book published
- 1969- Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Writing; moved to a barn near Louisville, Tennessee
- Child of God (1973)- 3rd book published; actual events in Sevier County inspired this book
- 1974-75- screenplay for PBS film The Gardener's Son (premiered 1977)
- Separated from Anne DeLisle 1976, later divorced
- Suttree (1979)- 4th book published; one of his best work, yet many negative reviews
- 1981- MacArthur Fellowship
- Blood Meridian (1985)- turning point in career; finest works to date followed by Suttree
- All the Pretty Horses (1992)- first volume to The Border Trilogy
- The Stonemason (1994)- revised play that was written in mid-1970s
- The Crossing- 2nd volume to The Border Trilogy published after The Stonemason
- Cities of the Plain (1998)- third volume to The Border Trilogy
- Married Jennifer Winkley around 1998; one child: John Francis (1999)
- No Country for Old Men (2005)- adapted into a film by Joel and Ethan Coen
- The Road (2006)- won Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2007; won James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction
- The Sunset Limited (2006)- later adapted starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson
- The Counselor (2013)- directed by Ridley Scott
Bibliography:
- "CormacMcCarthy.com." CormacMcCarthycom. Marty Priola, 4 Aug. 2013. Web. 04 May 2014. <http://www.cormacmccarthy.com/biography/>.
- Cormac McCarthy picture: http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/03/05/cormac-mccarthy-0138b85edd0bfe2b72f8c9fbaf72ae818926033a-s6-c30.jpg
- The Orchard Keeper: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51x6D3JHNsL.jpg
- Outer Dark: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41bGESmgnwL.jpg
- Child of God: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320509467l/293625.jpg
- The Gardener's Son: http://www.fictiondb.com/coversth/th_0062287540.jpg
- Suttree: http://www.noircafe.pl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/suttree_cormac-mccarthy.jpg
- Blood Meridian: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518aJh03fdL.jpg
- The Border Trilogy: http://www.abebooks.com/images/RareBooks/most-expensive-trilogies/mccarthy-border.jpg
- No Country for Old Men: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51pIXOEwULL.jpg