Cormac McCarthy Rejects Paid Lectures

In his early career, novelist Cormac McCarthy lived in deep poverty despite wide critical acclaim and turned down offers of $2,000 (about $16,700 today) to speak at universities about his work. He and his girlfriend bathed in lakes and ate only beans as they scraped by, choosing not to use paid speaking engagements to improve their finances. McCarthy said he refused the money because everything he had to say was there on the page, and he did not need to explain his writing in person.

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