Revelations about a relationship between the author and a girl who was 16 when they met shocked readers, but not scholars of his work. Now there’s a debate about how much she influenced his writing.

Cormac McCarthy was deeply private. Now a woman who inspired many of his characters speaks out about their relationship, which began when she was 16 and he was 42.

Augusta Britt, who says she met the then-married author at a motel pool, is believed to have inspired several novels

American author Cormac McCarthy was 42 when he met 16-year-old Augusta Britt, who she says inspired characters in some of his famous novels.

Great American novelist Cormac McCarthy was defensively private and didn’t share much about the inspiration behind his books — or about himself. However, the author, who died in 2023,