I have to confess, outside of excerpts and magazine articles, I have never read a Mailer book, neither his novels nor his non-fiction. I've always been curious, and also a bit intimidated by their length. That and the generally negative critical reception his novels received in the 80s-00s. However, he's always fascinated me as a cultural figure.
Best thing he did was run for Mayor. Armies of the Night, Naked and the Dead, and Why We Are In Viet Nam are must reads for anyone who wants to know more about themselves and why we should oppose all wars.
I never read anything Norman Mailer wrote but he is the author of the best comeback I've ever heard as part of his feud with author Tom Wolfe. From the Guardian UK:
"As far back as 1989, Mailer remarked: "In my mind, there is something silly about a man who wears a white suit all the time, especially in New York."
Wolfe brushed off the sartorial attack, simply pointing out that "the lead dog is the one they always try to bite in the ass". To which Mailer quickly responded: "It doesn't mean you're the top dog just because your ass is bleeding."
6 Chronicled the first execution after the ban on state sanctioned killings, mostly relying on family supplied data.Closer to the truth than In Cold Blood. Own it still.
He was a good novelist. He was a great non-fiction writer. Above all, he was an amazing prose stylist. A writer's writer in that regard.
"As far back as 1989, Mailer remarked: "In my mind, there is something silly about a man who wears a white suit all the time, especially in New York."
Wolfe brushed off the sartorial attack, simply pointing out that "the lead dog is the one they always try to bite in the ass". To which Mailer quickly responded: "It doesn't mean you're the top dog just because your ass is bleeding."
Snap! RIP Norman Mailer.
Do people really still think this is all Scott Boras?
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