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Cormac McCarthy's Reading List

American author of Blood Meridian, The Road, No Country for Old Men. Rarely interviewed but has named his greats.

Cormac McCarthy's Great Novels

Books McCarthy has named in interviews — Moby-Dick is his stated favorite, plus three others he calls 'great'.

Source: lithub.com

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Herman Melville · 1851 · Buy on Amazon

"My favorite book."

The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoevsky · 1880 · Buy on Amazon

"This sprawling philosophical novel, grappling with good and evil, faith, and free will, fits Cormac McCarthy's interest in humanity's darkest impulses and moral quandaries. It lands in the same neighborhood as his own explorations of violence and redemption."

Ulysses

James Joyce · 1922 · Buy on Amazon

"Its dense, experimental prose and exploration of the human condition through a single day aligns with McCarthy's own challenging narratives and philosophical depth. An expected read for someone exploring the limits of literary form."

The Sound and the Fury

William Faulkner · 1929 · Buy on Amazon

"Its dense, stream-of-consciousness prose and exploration of moral decay in the American South align with Cormac McCarthy's own unflinching portrayals of human nature and regional landscapes. An expected read for someone exploring the darker currents of American literature."

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