Caleb Carr, the bestselling author of *The Alienist*, known for delving into the origins of violence in both his fiction and nonfiction works, has passed away at the age of 68.
Carr died from cancer at his home in upstate New York on Thursday, as confirmed by his publicist, Katharine Myers.
His 1994 period thriller *The Alienist* explores the murders of young male prostitutes in the late nineteenth century. Carr’s 2002 nonfiction book, *The Lessons of Terror*, was written in response to the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and examines the history and impact of terrorism.
“Idiosyncratic, brilliant, and soft-hearted, Caleb was a constant in my life for decades, as a longtime client and friend since high school,” said Carr’s agent Suzanne Gluck in a statement shared with NPR. “In his books, he used his pain to shed light on the darkest places of the human mind.”
Born in 1955 in Manhattan, N.Y., Carr experienced a tumultuous childhood. His parents divorced when he was young, and he had a violent and abusive father who was prone to drinking and regularly lashed out at him.
In his recent memoir, *My Beloved Monster*, Carr wrote about finding solace in his friendships with cats. “It’s a distinctly different kind of companionship than you get from any other animal,” Carr said in an April interview for NPR. “But once you accept it on their terms, it’s really amazing.”
The memoir particularly focuses on his beloved cat, Masha, who was his constant companion for the last 17 years of his life. The pair faced cancer together.
“She made it possible for me to survive,” Carr told NPR. “I like to think, I hope, that I did the same for her.”
We hope you appreciated this article. we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading the stories we bring you, please support our work just by sharing our articles today. We will like to reach more of your friends. Thank you
