Cormac McCarthy gives one of his once-in-a-blue-moon interviews to WSJ (to promote the new movie “The Road.”). So I guess there is someone other than Oprah that can coax him out of hiding. His caustic humor is sure in full form, though:
WSJ: When you first went to the film set, how did it compare with how you saw “The Road” in your head?
Cormac McCarthy: I guess my notion of what was going on in “The Road” did not include 60 to 80 people and a bunch of cameras. [Director] Dick Pearce and I made a film in North Carolina about 30 years ago and I thought, “This is just hell. Who would do this?” Instead, I get up and have a cup of coffee and wander around and read a little bit, sit down and type a few words and look out the window.
WSJ: But is there something compelling about the collaborative process compared to the solitary job of writing?
CM: Yes, it would compel you to avoid it at all costs.
7 comments
Have you seen the flick yet? It’s really, really dull. Great performances, that’s about it.
I have refused to see the flick. It’s too good of a book to have it ruined by a bad movie. (Same thing for Blindness — which I think you also told me was an awful movie).
It’s a third rule to the rule of No Sequels and No Michael Bay (Ever!). Be Wary Of Adaptations.
The book is overrated anyway. It could have been 100 pages less and done with about thirty less descriptions of the ashen sky. He has written some great books, but The Road is not one of them. As for only having interviews with the WSJ and Oprah, well, that says something about the guy right there.
I disagree, Kenneth. It’s a pretty slim book as is, and I’m not quite sure what parts could be cut out.
Cormac’s ability to describe the natural world is a hallmark of his style, since he began in his early career to describe how lightning looks over the plain. (repetitive — maybe, but also beautiful prose).
The only thing the interviews say is that he tends to be reclusive, and only comes out for interviews he judges as being of sufficient merit. Oprah because The Road sold hundreds of thousands more copies if he accepted her book club invition, and WSJ — well, don’t know there, but I wouldn’t kick dirt on the publication if I was you.
Kenneth, how could you not be aware of his first big interview, the New York Times one? But I agree — the Road is not a great book. Blood Meridian is.
I do love Blood Meridian.
I was at a talkback with the filmmakers. The director’s previous film, The Proposition (amazing flick) was heavily inspired by Blood Meridian.
I’ve never read his other stuff, though All the Pretty Horses has been on my shelf for a while. The Road (book) was absolutely stunning.