A Conversation (Fictional) with Cormac McCarthy

I recently visited the Cormac McCarthy archive in San Marcos, Texas. The archive contains the most complete collection of McCarthy’s work — drafts, galleys, proofs, notes, correspondence — and is housed at Texas State University on the seventh floor of their library.

The reading room was splendid. A large wooden desk that could hold up to eight researchers was in the center of the room. Recessed lighting created a pleasant atmosphere in the room, and highlighted the portraits of authors like Cormac McCarthy, Sam Shepard, and Larry McMurtry to name a few. There were strict rules, though. You had to check your bag and cellphone with a research assistant, and you could only have a laptop with you. The research staff provided all paper and pencils. A rotating group of staff members sat at a nearby desk and watched over your every move to ensure that you weren’t getting pages out of order, or trying to steal any of McCarthy’s work.

I spent four days researching McCarthy, reading through the so called first draft of Blood Meridian and seeing his novels like Child of God and The Road in their formative stages. There was something inspiring about getting to hold the papers that McCarthy used to create some of my favorite novels. It was akin to a Yankee fan holding the bat of Babe Ruth. It was a fantastic experience, and one that taught me a lot about his exhaustive, in-depth writing process.

But a part of my research that particularly interested me was the handwritten correspondence that McCarthy kept up with two men for much of his writing career — Howard Woolmer and Peter Greenleaf.

Woolmer was a rare books collector who started corresponding with McCarthy shortly after his second novel, Outer Dark, was released. Their correspondence spans from 1969–2006 and , “contains 120 letters between McCarthy and Woolmer…The majority of the letters discuss McCarthy’s writing, but other topics include recommendations of books to read, reviews of McCarthy’s work, and the book collecting world.”

Meanwhile Greenleaf was simply a fan of McCarthy’s who decided to write him a letter to express his admiration for the author. The correspondence came into the possession of the archive after, “Peter Greenleaf donated eight handwritten letters he received from Cormac McCarthy between 1981 and 1988. In the letters McCarthy discusses his progress on writing, his reading interests, mutual acquaintances, and travel.”

I was interested in these letters for two reasons. First, I hoped to get a glimpse into McCarthy’s personality. The famously reclusive author has only done a few interviews throughout his life, and I wanted to know more about the man. Second, it’s enjoyable to read McCarthy in his own words, and to get a peek behind the curtain of his novels.

But how would I present this material? I didn’t want to copy and paste his answers verbatim without any flow to them. So I came up with this conversation (fictional) by extracting the interesting passages from McCarthy’s letters to Woolmer and Greenleaf.

Please take this interview with a grain of salt. Like I said this a fictional interview. Nothing will replace reading the actual letters and seeing them in their original context. But the passages I’ve pulled from McCarthy’s letters do present him in a revealing fashion.

I’ve added a few things in brackets during and after McCarthy’s answers for sentence flow. Please take note of the dates behind McCarthy’s response’s, as well. This will provide the overall timeline on where he was at in his career. The parts in bold after the answer are the citation information.

I hope you enjoy.

Interviewer: Thank you for responding to my letter, Mr. McCarthy, and for agreeing to this fictional interview. This is a true pleasure.

Cormac: Again, let me thank you for your letter. I think readers often shy off from writing to writers, but it is very nice to know there’s someone out there to hear from them. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, June 22, 1981)

Interviewer: Might I start off by asking about your penmanship? Your letters are difficult to read. What do normally use to correspond?

Cormac: I normally use a typewriter (you asked) and I think you can see why. (McCarthy to Woolmer, August 16, 1969)

Interviewer: I sent a letter to Random House asking about the status of some of your books. But I never heard anything back. Is this common?

Cormac: I’m not really surprised that you never heard from Random House. It’s a common complaint. The offices seem to be staffed with transients these days. I never hear from the same person twice. And sometimes, of course, not even once. Albert [Erksine] is semiretired and probably considered some sort of relic of bygone years by the functional illiterates now in command. (McCarthy to Woolmer, November 5, 1979)

Interviewer: It’s quite difficult tracking down your books.

Cormac: All [my] books [are] out of print except the most recent one. (This would have been Suttree) (McCarthy to Woolmer, August 12, 1980)

Interviewer: I recently spent fifteen dollars on a copy of The Orchard Keeper. It seemed a little steep for a book that was out of print.

Cormac: I’m sorry if you had to pay an exorbitant price for The Orchard Keeper. I suppose Random House sold them at about a dime a copy. (McCarthy to Woolmer, August 16, 1969)

Interview: There’s always a long gap between your novels. Why is this?

Cormac: I don’t know why things take so long. Partly it’s me just fiddling with the book and partly it just takes more time to get the thing processed through publishing and printing. (November 19, 1984 McCarthy to Greenleaf)

Interviewer: I tell all my friends about your work. I think your novels are fantastic. I hope you don’t mind that I do this.

Cormac: Please don’t apologize for trying to find readers for my books. It is your business and please feel free to ply it to any extent that the notion moves you. (McCarthy to Woolmer, May 25, 1983)

Interviewer: I’m sending a few of your novels out to people I know.

Cormac: By all means send copies of anything to anybody. We need to coax up the readership. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, Hotel Victoria Chihuahua Mexico)

Interviewer: I spoke to a person at Random House, Sharon Lane, who gave me the sales numbers for your books. How does these sit with you? (Lane to Woolmer, July 26, 1983)

Outer Dark — Random House edition pub. 8/68 $8.95 — sold 3,471 copies

The Orchard Keeper — Random House edition pub. 4/65 — $8.95 — sold 3,926 copies

Suttree — Random House edition pub. 2/5/79 $12.95–6,413 printed/2,705 sold

Cormac: I’ve been a full time professional writer for 28 years and I’ve never received a royalty check. That, I’ll betcha, is a record. (McCarthy to Woolmer April 8, 1989)

Interviewer: Have you been on any good trips as of late? I hear you’re quite the world traveler.

Cormac: Im just back from New Orleans where a friend of mine has been filming a new movie with Richard Gere. We went out one evening along Bourbon street interviewing strippers in the clubs for parts in the film. I don’t know why I mention this as it’s an impossible adventure to describe. (McCarthy to Woolmer Feb 25, 1986)

Interviewer: I also heard you were in Madrid recently?

Cormac: I thought I’d seen it all in Peru and Mexico city but the way they drive in Madrid beggars description. I didn’t even attempt it. We took cabs to get around and they often hit 120 kph down the main streets. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, November 19, 1984)

Interviewer: What books do you read? I have a friend who’s curious to know.

Cormac: I have read a lot of books and short of listing a few thousand titles, I don’t know how to answer your friend as to what I read. Damn near anything except bad novels. I have a great admiration for Moby Dick. I’d list the writers I haven’t gotten along with (but may in my old age, who knows) the list would be shorter, and would include D.H. Lawrence and Proust and Henry James and quite a few English Victorian novelists — but certainly not Hardy. Best new novel I’ve read in a long time is “Desperados” by Ron Hansen. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, December 16, 1983)

Interviewer: Anything new that you’re working on?

Cormac: I’m working on a couple of stories in filmscript from. Very good form for conserving the word. (McCarthy to Woolmer October 16 1985)

Interviewer: I heard you’ve been working on a play as well.

Cormac: I don’t [think] novelists in general do very well as playwrights, but I didn’t know what else to do with the story. What I’ll do with it now I have no idea. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, February 25, 1986)

Interviewer: I just turned thirty this year. Any advice for the way ahead?

Cormac: I think 50 is not as traumatic as 40. You’ve had more time to get used to the idea of being old. 40 [is] very hard on folks, be advised. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, December 12, 1983)

Interviewer: If I’m ever in your neck of the woods do you mind if I stop by for a visit?

Cormac: By all means if you even get within shouting distance of El Paso, shout. (McCarthy to Greenleaf, November 19 1984)