In a Vanity Fair report, legendary author Cormac McCarthy's longtime "muse" Augusta Britt reveals her story for the first time.

Many have criticized the way the magazine revealed McCarthy’s “secret muse,” whom he met when she was 16 and he was 42.

The famed author’s relationship with a 16-year-old and her newly-published Vanity Fair profile highlights the deep-rooted misogyny in literary spheres.

Cormac McCarthy reportedly had a 16-year-old muse who inspired several of his novels. The late author, regarded as one of the greatest American novelists, began a relationship with the teenager in the 1970s when he was 42, Vanity Fair reported.

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,

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.