You are proof that man is dog’s best friend, Jacob! You’ve inspired me to treat my skittish golden retriever to some McCarthy this evening too :)

Would’ve gone with The Crossing for obvious reasons, but hey; why not go with the slaughter fest that is Blood Meridian 😂 To each their own.

Just don’t traumatize him with the episode about the judge and the puppies he bought…

It's all fun and games until your dog starts talking back. "Every doggie treat that exists without my knowledge, exists without my consent."

Richard Poe is a fantastic narrator. I have such great memories of listening to his Blood Meridian narration whilst cycling in the evening. Good times :)

its superb

I've been working on this audiobook version for a while now. It is fantastic. I have the book too, but the narration makes it more digestible for me. I have the book too, but it's very difficult for me to follow. After watching this lecture I'll probably put it on my "re-read" pile.

I listened to it like 3 times before reading the book and I still barley knew what was going on lol

Absolutely agree on Richard Poe’s magnificent narration. I’ve never done this before, but I (re)read large chunks of the text, simultaneous with listening to Poe’s narration on earbuds.

i feel this is a pretty well known fact. it was also heavily influenced by the bible, paradise lost, and moby dick

❤

it is common knowledge that it was loosely based on My Confession

it's based on a lot of things, he spent 15 years researching for this book. shit, he learned a whole new language, spanish obviously, just for blood meridian. rumor has it he walked the exact path the fictionalized glanton gang of the book took on their apocalyptic journey, and it wouldn't surprise me if that were true given how the landscapes are so beautifully described that it almost seems impossible without firsthand experience.

Stay well friend.

Stay safe, Pavlo. My thoughts couldn't help but turn to the current crisis as I was discussing the theme of war and violence in this video. In a sense, it would be a blessing if one couldn't appreciate Blood Meridian. The fact that the work has become so important to you really speaks to the immense tragedy of current events. I hope you and yours are safe, my friend, and thank you for sharing this with us.

I hope that you and your loved ones stay safe, Pavlo. Ukrainian-Canadian here. Growing up in North America, in suburbs, I inhabited a world so completely alien from what is described in Blood Meridian, and from what you are experiencing now in Ukraine. The sort of "normal" that we are used to was never sustainable, in my opinion, and now our culture will have a harder time psychologically adjusting to the reality of the world than countries like Ukraine. Miguel de Unamuno talked about the "tragic sense of life": the concept that everything you hold dear can vanish in an instant, and that deep meaning is to be found in embracing this truth. In the west, we have grown so used to peace and prosperity and all the while becoming less tolerant of normal, daily hardships. The west has very little grasp of the notion of the "tragic sense of life", which is why, I believe, that people here were more prone to raiding supermarket shelves for toilet paper when the pandemic begun. When I read Blood Meridian, it was like a forceful awakening to the types of violence and suffering that is much closer to the average human experience throughout human history on earth. It felt like a necessary corrective, especially as it's become clear that the peace and prosperity we grew used to is not going to sustain. How else is one to get into contact with these realities without experiencing such hardships first hand? Blood Meridian has been, for me, one of the most powerful lenses for which to deeply consider the past and present of the human condition. The book is so dense and layered and difficult to read at first, so reading it like one would eat small bits of dark chocolate is a wonderful strategy! I also highly suggest companion books like "Notes on Blood Meridian". Though hard to access initially, this depth and initial difficulty in getting used to the language makes this book so highly rewarding when I re-read it. And like you said, Pavlov, I believe it to be the most important book in my life. It is not glorifying violence but forcing us to deeply consider what we should do with our violent tendencies. In the west, we've successfully reduced violence and suffering to a large extent. We've gone so far as to encourage neurosis in our youth. Consider how western countries have the phenomena of "safetyism" (aka "helicopter parenting" or "coddling") where parents over protect the kids from daily struggles and conflicts and stunt the child's ability to develop "distress tolerance" and resilience. A mental health crisis started around 2012-2013 and the main factors that the research have identified are the culture of safteyism and "coddling", as well as the increased use of social media (negative social comparisons, bullying). See Jean Twenge's research or the wonderful book "The Coddling of The American Mind" by J Haidt/G Lukianoff for a more in depth treatment. I work at a kid's hospital as a mental health therapist. We've seen a huge surge in youth mental health admissions since the summer of 2020. Mainly the admissions are for suicide attempts, overdoses, eating disorders, anxiety/mood disorders and psychosis. This trend has been seen in most western countries that had long school closures, encouraged kids to isolate from their peers and so on (ie. countries with a high degree of "safteyism culture"). Interestingly, there was not a similar surge in youth mental health admissions in Nordic countries. In these countries there is a higher degree of tolerance for risk to kids and they recognized that kids were not at much risk from covid. They did not have that overwhelming sense of fear towards kids being exposed to harm that was part of why western countries adopted such harmful covid policies for kids. Ironically in the west, our fear of kids being exposed to harm exposed them to, in my opinion, even greater harms in the form of psychological suffering. It was in Blood Meridian where I first encountered this sort of concept. The idea that violence and suffering is inherently tied to the human experience, that we ought to be less confident in our ability to fully eradicate violence. In the west, we've reduced it to such an extent but we have not accounted for our growing fear of suffering. The paradox here is that the less suffering we are exposed to, the less well we are able to accept it and deal with it when it arises (this is the concept of anti-fragility, like how our immune systems and bones become stronger through being tested and weaker through being over protected). This lowered tolerance to pain and suffering is not a big deal if we continue down a path of less and less risk and violence in our lives. However, western countries are now being exposed to increasing levels of suffering and risk and with a lowered tolerance to this risk. I believe this explains the hysteria we now see, that we had been losing contact with deep wisdom as a result of our delusion of that we would be able to indefinitely create more and more safety. The one epigram at the start of Blood Meridian hits on this concept, the one from Paul Valery. The quote is actually from an essay by Valery in which a european diplomat travels to China and meets with a Chinese diplomat around the time of the first Sino-Japanese war (around 1894). The european diplomat remarks how Japan has been sending their young men overseas to learn western technologies, particularly those related to warfare, and then bringing the knowledge back and boosting their military might. The Chinese diplomat scoffs at the remark and launches into a diatribe comparing eastern culture to western culture and mocking the west for it's infatuation with the intellect and disconnect from history. The excerpt from this essay, which makes up the epigram, is as follows: “You are in love with intelligence, until it frightens you. For your ideas are terrifying and your hearts are faint. Your acts of pity and cruelty are absurd, committed with no calm, as if they were irresistible. Finally, you fear blood more and more. Blood and time.” - Paul Valery This quote always stuck with me but, like Blood Meridian, took a while to fully unpack. It seems as thought it would be different for Ukrainians as your history has not allowed your citizens to forget the "tragic sense of life" If you are interested, the link for the essay is below. It's a dense read much like Blood Meridian, but these sorts of literature are so much more rich than the types of media most people consume these days. Everything is so hyper-presentist, only aware of what happened last week, constant overload of information that makes it harder for people to have historical perspective and engage in broad, ranging discussions. For these reasons and more, Blood Meridian is a very important book. I must say, like you, Pavlo, that it is the most important book in my life. Paul Valery - The Yalu drive.google.com/file/d/16gud4fPsQJWkMD_JFKhya07OdEUTeSKb/view

Stay alert and stay alive. We're all hoping you and your country endure and strengthen thru all of this.

Slava Ukraini

Wow. You must have a very intimate knowledge of the book. I agree with you it's incredibly beautiful.

I'm the same way. I've read the book maybe half a dozen times, but I've lost count of the number of times I've listened to the audiobook. I recently spent 4 weeks camping out in the American Southwest, and the Richard Poe audio was on constant repeat. It's so beautiful and so intricate and each listen only reveals some new detail which makes me want start it again.

Same here. I reread it multiple times and listen to it multiple times and never seem to tire of the nuggets of gorgeousness I find. For example, when Glanton picks up a piece of fallen leaf and, “beauty is not lost to him.”

I can say that I've read it twice and I didn't find it all that difficult cognitively, but man...the violence is absolutely unrelenting and sickening. The only other equivalent in the McCarthy canon is 'The Road.' Both say something important about the darkest elements of people. But it is absolutely beautiful and horrible at the same time.

It's really one you can read infinitely and never tire of it. Up there with Ulysses in my opinion.

Such an incredibly sad loss. I feel blessed that we could experience the books whilst he was still publishing them. One of the greatest writers of our time!

I looked into that moby dick performance. Lots of high praise. Will check out.

What a great review! Thank you so much for sharing your rewarding reading experience :) You’re so right that Blood Meridian is a novel that benefits from lived experience. Despite the horrors detailed, the prose seems richer to me every time I return to it!

@@BenjaminMcEvoy As an American, I rank him as our greatest living writer. I love seeing how non-Americans react to his work. I'm learning so much from your channel. You convinced me to read Anna Karenina recently and I am extremely grateful. Tolstoy knows how to make you appreciate the joy of life by showing the best in humanity, McCarthy makes you appreciate the joys in life because of how unfairly brutal the world can be on the cruel and innocent alike

I love All The Pretty Horses! And I’m thrilled to hear you’ll be reviewing Blood Meridian with us, Kandy. Thank you for your kind words - I really appreciate them :)

Thank you, my friend! I truly appreciate that so much. Blood Meridian is a very special book to me, so I'm thrilled that other lovers of McCarthy like yourself enjoyed the discussion :)

That's so cool. Is the French translation brutally beautiful too? I'd love to check it out myself. I've found a paperback edition online of Méridien de sang, ou Le rougeolement du soir dans l'Ouest :) I hope you enjoy The Road and No Country for Old Men - in many ways much easier to break into, and both brilliant in their own right!

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Totally! However, I have the impression that french tends to make things less brutal and raw than english. It's not a translation issue, because the book was translated by François Hirsch (who was a brilliant and famous french translator) it's more like a difference in the musicality of the languages! It's not really a huge difference and I can enjoy this masterpiece with no problems! The violence is here, the stunning descriptions of scenery is here and the complex portrait of each character is great! I will finish BM and then read many of the recommandations you've made and re-read BM again, I have the feeling that this book will bring me so much knowledges and fun! Thank you again for this video, new subscriber here!

So true. Many say they cant finish it.

Thank you, Axl! And very nice coincidence :) I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying it so far. All the Pretty Horses is a solid McCarthy to start with. He actually has quite a big following of native Spanish speakers, who appreciate how much Spanish he uses in his novels. It’s one of my favourite things about McCarthy’s writing!

Thank you so much :) I'd love to know what you make of the book!

Nice one, Steve! I'd love to know what you make of it!

Nice one on riding on through Blood Meridian! I feel as though putting it down adds something to the reading experience. Such a masterpiece!

Completely agree with you :)

David Foster Wallace's review: "Don't even ask." The highest of praise from another great author.

Thank you, my friend! I completely agree, and thrilled to hear you’re enjoying your reading so far :)

Reality is yet more disturbing and still it has to be coped with and its meaning discerned.

Nice one, Philip! Your reading sounds very strong to me. I'd love to hear what you make of it once you get to the end :)

Thank you, Alex :) I appreciate you saying that!

I'm so happy to hear that! I hope your round two is just as rewarding :)

​@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank you. After watching your video, I'm already enjoying it much more. Now the imagery is so incredibly intense and vivid that it's exhausting somehow. It's not the detail that does it, but sometihing else. There is a lot to say about this work, but I can only express my thanks to you, and this amazing author whom I've only just discovered. Cheers.

Thank you, Eduardo :)

I adore it too - it's one of the most sublime things I've read! Endlessly rereadable!

Thank you so much, my friend. I appreciate you being here!

Nice one, Michael. I'll bet with your background Blood Meridian really hits on a deep level!

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Yes. The effort he takes to get it perfect is phenomenal. In all his works. The description of the trucks in No Country. The horse and human bond in the border trilogy. The verbiage. My life was unique for a 70s teenager. I really was lucky. I experienced the true last of some things western. When an author or filmmaker gets it right ? Gold. So many don't. A filmmaker said once, Deadwood series perhaps, the audience appreciates attention to detail and authenticity, even if they don't realize it.

Perfectly put, Margaret! It's that juxtaposition of brutality and beauty that, for me, makes Blood Meridian such a disorienting experience - and yet it's a book I cannot help but return to over and over again!

@@BenjaminMcEvoy thank you Benjamin. For years I was sure no one else read this great book but me. I find a similar beauty in his Outer Dark and certainly The Road.

That's a powerful insight! He absolutely has both of them in him!

That's so cool! What an incredible reading experience!

Those are really great tips! For one of my readings, I listened to the Richard Poe audiobook whilst listening simultaneously. Incredible experience. Using the dictionary feature on the kindle is inspired! I would definitely encourage readers to be liberal with how much they look up. I haven’t read Books Are Made Out Of Books, but it sounds like a fantastic recommendation - thank you very much, I’ll check it out!

I'm happy you found this channel too, Mark :) Thank you for being here!

Wow. I've bought and gifted this book many times over too, and recommended so many to read it. Some will resist reading it, but I will keep reminding them ;)

I would read it contemplatively and with relish. However I must get it myself.. I know no one any longer

@@Edelwiess1066 high on a rocky ledge?

@@whitekony1006 Yes.

Thank you so much for watching, Patricia! :)

Thank you, Michael :) I'm so glad you enjoyed it! McCarthy is important to me too - I feel quite a close personal kinship to him.

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I'd like to take this opportunity to ask someone other than a friend, these question. My Son and I feel, Cormac as the uncanny ability to do these three things, plus many more. (1) To lead the reader mentally down several paths at once. The various characters backstories start to flesh out for me, without him actually going there. (2) Definitely related to (1) When finished with a book , to hold it physically and look at it, wondering how in the world did I get that much story and information from that little book ? We believe he tricks the mind to consciously and un consciously travel within the story. Building more and more narrative. Example.. Reading the Crossing. (Even for the 6th time) I feel as tho I've read Shadow County, by Peter Matthison. 912 pages. (3) some of his works, for my Son and I both, while reading, we sometimes enter a type of dream state. Thanks again.

Thank you, John :) I’d love to hear what you make of it when you come to Blood Meridian!

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Yes will do Benjamin. Reading The Count of monte Cristo at the moment. Fabulous book.

That's awesome! Let me know what you think of the novel :) I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Let me know what you think :)

Nice one, John :) I’d love to hear how your reread goes, and how it compares to your first reading!

It's definitely a masterpiece :)

Thank you, John! I appreciate that so much. And I think you're right to have that uneasy feeling. Blood Meridian, unfortunately, is incredibly relevant!

That's so cool. Please do let me know what the Hebrew translation is like. I'm fascinated :)

Nice one, Daniel. Congratulations on making it through McCarthy's brutal universe. It's great to hear you utilised sub-vocalisation. The prose of Blood Meridian is very much like poetry in that regards - reading aloud slowly unlocks so much meaning. And you would be warmly welcome to join the club :) We would love to have you reading with us, and hearing your thoughts on these great works!

Thank you :) I'm so happy you found it useful! Let me know how you get on with Blood Meridian!

We should all make the effort to read this novel however difficult, for what it has to remind us of the world we live in now.Great job!

Thank you, Jason :) And a very warm welcome to the club! It's so great to have you reading with us. I can't wait to hear your thoughts :)

I DNF'ed it halfway through because the lack of a plot or internal dialogue was just boring me, as beautiful as the descriptive scenic prose and violence were

I completely agree :) I've been reading Blood Meridian aloud consistently for years now, and it never fails to impress me.