Norman Mailer  

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-{{Template}}'''Norman Kingsley Mailer''' (born [[January 31]], [[1923]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[novelist]], [[journalist]], [[playwright]], [[screenwriter]] and [[film director]]. Along with [[Truman Capote]], [[Joan Didion]] and [[Tom Wolfe]], Mailer is considered an innovator of [[creative nonfiction]], a genre sometimes called [[New Journalism]], but which covers the [[essay]] to the [[nonfiction novel]]. +{| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5"
 +| style="text-align: left;" |
 +"[[Norman Mailer]], [[Truman Capote]], [[William Styron]] — perhaps half-a-dozen others approaching or just past thirty — have numerous admirers, but it is clear that their impact on young intellectuals has not been remotely comparable to that made on a previous generation by [[F. Scott Fitzgerald |Fitzgerald]]." -- "[[Born 1930: The Unlost Generation]]" by Caroline Bird, Feb. 1957
 +|}
 +{{Template}}
-==Biography==+'''Norman Kingsley Mailer''' (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007) was an [[American writer]] and liberal political activist. His novel ''[[The Naked and the Dead]]'' was published in 1948 and brought him early and wide renown. His 1968 nonfiction novel ''[[Armies of the Night]]'' won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction as well as the [[National Book Award]]. His best-known work is widely considered to be ''[[The Executioner's Song]]'', the 1979 winner of the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for fiction. In over six decades of work, Mailer had eleven best-selling books in each of the seven decades after World War II—more than any other post-war American writer.
-Mailer was born to a [[Jewish]] family, (mother Fanny Schneider Mailer and father Isaace Barnett Mailer) in [[Long Branch, New Jersey|Long Branch]], [[New Jersey]]. He was brought up in [[Brooklyn, New York]], graduated from Boys' High School and when he was only sixteen was admitted to [[Harvard University]] in [[1939]], where he studied [[aeronautical engineering]]. At the university, he became interested in writing and published his first story when he was 18. +
-Mailer graduated from Harvard in [[1943]] was [[Selective Service System|drafted]] into the [[U.S. Army|Army]] in [[World War II]] and served in the [[Pacific Ocean|South Pacific]].+
-==Writing life==+Along with [[Truman Capote]], [[Joan Didion]], [[Hunter S. Thompson]], and [[Tom Wolfe]], Mailer is considered an innovator of [[creative nonfiction]], a genre sometimes called [[New Journalism]], which uses the style and devices of literary fiction in fact-based journalism. Mailer was also known for his essays, the most famous and reprinted of which is "[[The White Negro]]". He was a cultural commentator and critic, expressing his views through his novels, journalism, essays, and frequent media appearances. In 1955, Mailer and three others founded ''[[The Village Voice]]'', an arts- and politics-oriented weekly newspaper distributed in [[Greenwich Village]]. In 1960, he was convicted of assault and served a three-year probation after he [[Stabbing of Adele Morales by Norman Mailer|stabbed his wife, Adele Morales]], with a penknife, nearly killing her. [[1969 New York City mayoral election|In 1969]], he ran an unsuccessful campaign to become the mayor of New York.
-===Novels===+
-In [[1948]], just before enrolling in the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] in [[Paris]], he published a book that made him world-famous: ''[[The Naked and the Dead]],'' based on his personal experiences during World War II. It was hailed by many as one of the best American novels to come out of the war years and named one of the "[[Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels|100 best novels in English language]]" by the [[Modern Library]].+
-In the following years, Mailer continued to work in the field of the novel. ''Barbary Shore'' ([[1951]]) was a surreal parable of Cold War left politics, set in a Brooklyn rooming-house. His [[1955]] novel ''The Deer Park'' drew on his experiences working as a screenwriter in Hollywood in the early 1950s. It was initially rejected by six publishers owing to its sexual content. +While principally known as a novelist and journalist, Mailer was not afraid to bend genres and venture outside his comfort zone; he lived a life that seemed to embody an idea that echoes throughout his work: "There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same."
- +
-===Essays===+
-In the mid-[[1950s]], he became increasingly known for his counter-cultural essays. He was one of the founders of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' in 1955 [http://www.villagevoice.com/aboutus/]. In the book ''[[Advertisements for Myself]]'' ([[1959]]), including the essay ''The White Negro: Superficial Reflections on the Hipster'' ([[1957]]), Mailer examined violence, hysteria, sex, crime and confusion in American society, in both fictional and reportage forms. He has also been a frequent contributor of book reviews and long essays to ''[[The New York Review of Books]]'' since its founding issue in 1963.+
- +
-===Other===+
-Other famous works include: ''The Presidential Papers'' ([[1963]]), ''[[An American Dream]]'' ([[1965]]), ''Why Are We in Vietnam?'' (1967), ''[[Armies of the Night]]'' ([[1968]], awarded a [[Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction|Pulitzer Prize]] and [[National Book Award]]), ''Miami and the Siege of Chicago'' (1968), ''[[Of a Fire on the Moon]]'' ([[1970]]), ''The Prisoner of Sex'' ([[1971]]), ''Marilyn'' ([[1973]]), ''The Fight'' ([[1975]]), ''[[The Executioner's Song]]'' ([[1979]], awarded a [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction|Pulitzer Prize]]), ''Ancient Evenings'' ([[1983]]), ''[[Harlot's Ghost]]'' ([[1991]]), ''[[Oswald's Tale]]'' ([[1995]]), and ''[[The Castle in the Forest]]'' ([[2007]]).+
- +
-In 1968 he received a [[George Polk Award]] for his reporting in ''Harper's ''Magazine.+
- +
-In the film Sleeper Woody Allen is shown a picture of Mailer, Allen confirms his identity and states that Mailer donated his ego to the Harvard Medical School.+
- +
-In addition to his experimental fiction and [[nonfiction novel]]s, Mailer has produced a play version of ''The Deer Park'', and in the late [[1960s]] directed a number of improvisational avant-garde films in a Warhol style, including ''[[Maidstone (film)|Maidstone]]'' (1970), which includes a brutal brawl between [[Norman T. Kingsley]], played by himself, and [[Rip Torn]] that may or may not have been planned. In [[1987]], he directed a film version of his novel ''Tough Guys Don't Dance'', starring [[Ryan O'Neal]], which has become a minor camp classic.+
- +
-==Activism==+
-A number of Mailer's nonfiction works, such as The ''[[Armies of the Night]]'' and ''[[The Presidential Papers]]'', are political. He covered the [[Republican National Convention|Republican]] and [[Democratic National Convention]]s in 1960, [[1964]], 1968, [[1972]], [[1992]], and [[1996]]. In 1967, he was arrested for his involvement in [[Vietnam War#Opposition to the war|anti-Vietnam War]] demonstrations. Two years later, he ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic Party primary for [[Mayor of New York City]], allied with columnist [[Jimmy Breslin]] (who ran for City Council President), proposing [[New York City secession]] and creating a [[51st state]].+
- +
-In [[1980]], Mailer spearheaded convicted killer [[Jack Abbott]]'s successful bid for [[parole]]. He helped Abbott publish a collection of letters to Mailer about his experiences in prison. Abbott committed a murder within weeks of his release, and consequently, Mailer was subject to criticism for his role; in a 1992 interview, in the ''[[Buffalo News]]'', he conceded that his involvement was "another episode in my life in which I can find nothing to cheer about or nothing to take pride in."+
- +
-==Biographies==+
-His biographical subjects have included [[Pablo Picasso]] and [[Lee Harvey Oswald]]. His 1986 [[off-Broadway]] play ''Strawhead'' starring his daughter, Kate, was about [[Marilyn Monroe]]. His 1973 biography of Monroe was particularly controversial: in its final chapter he stated that she was murdered by agents of the [[FBI]] and [[CIA]] who resented her supposed affair with [[Robert F. Kennedy]]. He later admitted that these speculations were "not good journalism." +
- +
-==Personal life==+
-Mailer has been married six times, and has eight natural children and one adopted child by his various wives.+
-*He married first in [[1944]] to Beatrice Silverman before divorcing her in [[1952]]. +
-*In 1960, Mailer stabbed his second wife, [[Adele Morales]], whom he married in [[1954]], with a penknife at a party. While Morales made a full physical recovery, in 1997 she published a memoir of their marriage entitled ''[[The Last Party]]'', which outlined her perception of the incident. This incident has been a focal point for feminist critics of Mailer, who point to themes of sexual violence in his work.+
-*His third wife was the British heiress and journalist [[Jeanne Campbell|Lady Jeanne Campbell]] (1929-2007), the only daughter of the 11th [[Duke of Argyll]] and a granddaughter of the press baron [[Lord Beaverbrook]]; by her, he had a daughter, [[Kate Mailer]], who is an actress.+
-*His fourth marriage was to model turned actress Beverly Bentley, mother of his producer son [[Michael Mailer|Michael]] and actor son Stephen.+
-*His fifth wife Carol Stevens, with whom he had a daughter Maggie Alexander. They were married for one day.+
-*His sixth and current wife is the former Norris Church, a former model turned writer. They have one son, [[John Buffalo Mailer]].+
- +
-In 2005 he co-authored a book with his youngest child, [[John Buffalo Mailer]], titled ''The Big Empty''. In 2007 [[Random House]] published his latest novel, ''The Castle in the Forest''. +
- +
-He currently lives in [[Provincetown, MA]].+
- +
-== References ==+
-*''Norman Mailer,'' by Michael K. Glenday. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.+
-*''Radical Fictions and the Novels of Norman Mailer,'' by Nigel Leigh. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.+
-*''Critical Essays on Norman Mailer,'' edited by J.Michael Lennon: Boston, G.K.Hall and Co., 1986.+
-*''Norman Mailer,'' by Richard Poirier, New York: Viking,1972. One of the best studies of Mailer's writing, tracking his career through the early Eighties.+
-*''Norman Mailer,'' by Richard Jackson Foster, University of Minnesota Press, 1968.+
-*''The Structured Vision of Norman Mailer,'' by Barry H. Leeds, New York University Press,1969.+
-*''Norman Mailer,'' by Robert Merrill, Twayne, 1978.+
-*''Mailer: His Life and Times,'' edited by Peter Manso, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985. Highly readable "oral" biography of Mailer created by cross-cutting interviews with friends, enemies, acquaintances, relatives, wives of Mailer and Mailer himself.+
-*''Conversations with Norman Mailer,'' edited by J. Michael Lennon. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1988.+
-*''The Portable Beat Reader,'' edited by Ann Charters, Penguin Books. New York. 1992. ISBN 0-670-83885-3 (hc); ISBN 0-14-015102-8 (pbk)+
- +
-==Quotations==+
- +
-* "I take it for granted that there's a side of me that loves public action, and there's another side of me that really wants to be alone and work and write. And I've learned to alternate the two as matters develop."+
-* "I knew that there was one thing I wanted to be and that was a writer."+
-* "There are two kinds of brave men: those who are brave by the grace of nature, and those who are brave by an act of will."+
==Selected bibliography== ==Selected bibliography==
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* ''[[Why Are We At War?]]''. New York: Random House, 2003. * ''[[Why Are We At War?]]''. New York: Random House, 2003.
* ''[[The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts on Writing]]''. New York: Random House, 2003. * ''[[The Spooky Art: Some Thoughts on Writing]]''. New York: Random House, 2003.
- 
-==Trivia== 
-* Appeared in an episode of [[Gilmore Girls]] as himself. Season 5, ''Norman Mailer, I'm Pregnant!'' 
-* He is mentioned in a [[Savage Garden]] song titled ''Santa Monica'' on their [[Savage Garden (album)|self-titled debut album]]. 
-* He is also mentioned in a [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] song titled ''Animal Bar'' on their 2006 album [[Stadium Arcadium]]. 
-* He is also mentioned in a song titled ''Get By'' by Talib Kweli. The song is on Kweli's 2002 album, ''Quality.'' 
{{GFDL}} {{GFDL}}

Current revision

"Norman Mailer, Truman Capote, William Styron — perhaps half-a-dozen others approaching or just past thirty — have numerous admirers, but it is clear that their impact on young intellectuals has not been remotely comparable to that made on a previous generation by Fitzgerald." -- "Born 1930: The Unlost Generation" by Caroline Bird, Feb. 1957

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Norman Kingsley Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007) was an American writer and liberal political activist. His novel The Naked and the Dead was published in 1948 and brought him early and wide renown. His 1968 nonfiction novel Armies of the Night won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction as well as the National Book Award. His best-known work is widely considered to be The Executioner's Song, the 1979 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In over six decades of work, Mailer had eleven best-selling books in each of the seven decades after World War II—more than any other post-war American writer.

Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe, Mailer is considered an innovator of creative nonfiction, a genre sometimes called New Journalism, which uses the style and devices of literary fiction in fact-based journalism. Mailer was also known for his essays, the most famous and reprinted of which is "The White Negro". He was a cultural commentator and critic, expressing his views through his novels, journalism, essays, and frequent media appearances. In 1955, Mailer and three others founded The Village Voice, an arts- and politics-oriented weekly newspaper distributed in Greenwich Village. In 1960, he was convicted of assault and served a three-year probation after he stabbed his wife, Adele Morales, with a penknife, nearly killing her. In 1969, he ran an unsuccessful campaign to become the mayor of New York.

While principally known as a novelist and journalist, Mailer was not afraid to bend genres and venture outside his comfort zone; he lived a life that seemed to embody an idea that echoes throughout his work: "There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same."

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Selected bibliography

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Fiction

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Non-Fiction



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