Cormac and Oprah

I watched my first complete episode of Oprah yesterday. The reason: Cormac McCarthy first ever interview on television. I wasn't sure what to expect. I have been amazed and moved by his books, by their bleakness and beauty - what would he be like? What would he sound like?

In the end, it was a decent interview. Oprah might get slagged for some of her inane, cliched questions, but she seemed somewhat respectful. I was left wondering why McCarthy said yes. He is known to never talk about his work, and that did come across as he dodged a few questions, or at least alluded that there was no reason to explore them (ie: the role of women in his fiction).

So I'll leave the media type to sift through the event, or non-event, and make their judgements. What grabbed me was his talking about not wanting to have the sort of job that you just fill in time - it was voiced oddly as "avoiding work". Anyone who writes seriously knows the amount of work it demands. But CM said that we only get one shot at this (life) and he wanted to spend it doing something he enjoyed.
I wholeheartedly agree.

And he has been willing to forgo the materialistic needs of money and stuff, to walk this path. I admire that. Now of course, he did get the Macarthur Fellowship, and with Oprah's help, The Road probably sold a few million copies. Somehow, though, I don't think he is out there buying a big screen TV and a SUV.

Great writer. And he seems like a pretty fine human being.

Another take on the interview