KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee is about to acquire thousands of books from the estate of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Knoxvillian known for his dense dialogue, gritty themes and endlessly curious mind.

Cormac McCarthy, whose awakening as a writer started right here in East Tennessee, died in June 2023 at age 89 in his Santa Fe, N.M., home.

His younger brother, Dennis, a writer and former Knoxville lawyer, is giving UT some 15,000 to 18,000 books from McCarthy's personal library. McCarthy grew up in Knoxville and attended UT a couple times in the 1950s but did not graduate from it.

UT probably will start receiving them next year, said Steven Smith, dean of libraries and of the University Press. Smith himself will head to New Mexico later this month with other library personne

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