Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited by Daugherty, Tracy

A biography of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Cormac McCarthy, from Tracy Daugherty, the New York Times bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist biography Larry McMurtry: A Life.

Cormac McCarthy is hailed as one of America's greatest novelists. In his body of work, the nation's story is told in incomparably vivid shades of violence, greed, and love. And yet, most of his personal story has been largely untold--until now.

Early in life, McCarthy chose to devote himself almost exclusively to his literary pursuits. Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited movingly details what this choice cost him in his family relationships, his marriages, and his friendships. Mentally and physically restless, often solitary and yet gregarious and charming, McCarthy lived as wildly, complexly, and close to the bone as any of his characters, journeying often to remote locations, communing deeply with the natural world, and traversing intricate emotional and psychological terrain. In his novels, he reported wisdom hard-learned through harsh experience and intense observation.

With precision and grace, Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited recounts his story from poverty to riches, obscurity to worldwide acclaim, and unveils the man behind the myth in a must-read biography for both lifelong fans and new McCarthy readers alike.

Author: Tracy Daugherty
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 10/06/2026
Pages: 528
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.70lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.60w x 1.70d
ISBN: 9781250348722

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2026
Booklist 08/01/2026
Publishers Weekly 08/10/2026
Library Journal 09/01/2026 pg. 114

About the Author
Born and raised in Texas, TRACY DAUGHERTY is the author of six novels, six short story collections, a memoir, a book of personal essays, a collection of essays on writing, a novella collection, and six literary biographies. His 2009 biography of Donald Barthelme, Hiding Man, was a New York Times and New Yorker Notable Book; his 2015 biography of Joan Didion, The Last Love Song was a New York Times Bestseller; and his 2023 biography of Larry McMurtry, Larry McMurtry: A Life, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His work has been recognized by the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. At Oregon State University he helped found the MFA Program in Creative Writing.