Cormac McCarthy Obituary Uses Cryptic Poetic Language and Sparse Punctuation

And Somehow Explores the Dark Side of Human Nature

Cormac McCarthy, the acclaimed novelist who wrote with a stark and poetic style about the moral complexities of the human condition, died on Tuesday at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 89.

McCarthy's death was announced by his publisher, Knopf, and in true McCarthy-esque style, the obituary used dense and somewhat cryptic forms of poetic language and featured a lack of punctuation.

Also, words from his longtime editor Albert Erskine were printed without quotation marks giving the obituary a bare feeling, compelling readers to confront uncomfortable truths about life and death.

The obituary fearlessly delved into the depths of the human condition and stayed in the darkest corners as it interweaves allegorical elements, symbolic imagery, and reflections on life, death, and the nature of evil. Seamlessly blending realism and mythic storytelling.

Inherent brutality brimmed at every line. Readers grappled with existential questions.

Yet there were themes of love. Redemption and hope.

The obituary is being praised for its lyrical prose and its unflinching exploration of violence, cruelty, and despair.

In a world of easy answers and false comfort, it is a voice of truth in the darkness. It was a reminder of the harsh realities of life. It challenges readers to confront our own capacity for evil and immorality.

Yet it will be remembered for its beauty and power and its unflinching honesty.

Perhaps the most shocking moment is at the end when the writer takes on the psychologically distant 3rd-person-objective narration style from Blood Meridian and offers his philosophical views about death:

How surely are the dead beyond death. Death is what the living carry with them. A state of dread, like some uncanny foretaste of a bitter memory. But the dead do not remember and nothingness is not a curse. Far from it.

After reading the obituary, many said they were confused, yet begun to confront their own moral complexities and bare the weight of their past actions.

Contemplating the very essence of our existence.