Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer was an American writer, journalist, and filmmaker known for his powerful stories and bold ideas. He wrote for over 60 years and had 11 best-selling books.

One of his most famous books, The Naked and the Dead, made him famous when it was published in 1948.

Mailer also won important awards for his work. His nonfiction book The Armies of the Night won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Another book, The Executioner's Song, also won a Pulitzer Prize. He helped create a new way of writing called "creative nonfiction" or "New Journalism", mixing storytelling with real facts.

Besides writing, Mailer was also known for his strong opinions. He helped start The Village Voice, a newspaper in Greenwich Village, and even tried to become the mayor of New York.

Early life

Norman Mailer was born into a Jewish family in Long Branch, New Jersey on January 31, 1923. His father was an accountant, and his mother ran a housekeeping and nursing agency. Both of his parents were of Lithuanian Jewish descent. Mailer grew up in Brooklyn, first in Flatbush and later in Crown Heights.

He finished at Boys High School and went to Harvard College at just 16. He studied engineering but also took writing classes. He published his first story when he was 18. Mailer completed his studies at Harvard in 1943, earning a Bachelor of Science with honors. He then joined the U.S. Army and was sent to the Philippines with the 112th Cavalry. While there, he wrote many letters to his wife, which helped shape his first big novel.

Novelist

Norman Mailer wrote 12 novels over 59 years. His first big success was The Naked and the Dead, published in 1948. It became a bestseller and was praised as one of the best stories about Americans during World War II.

Other famous books include The Executioner’s Song, which won a top award called the Pulitzer Prize, and Harlot’s Ghost, a long novel about secret history. Mailer’s last novel, The Castle in the Forest, came out in 2007 and was well-received.

Journalist

From the mid-1950s, Norman Mailer became well-known for his essays. In 1955, he helped start The Village Voice and wrote a column for a few months. His famous essay "The White Negro" from 1957 talked about a person who goes against society’s rules.

In 1960, Mailer wrote "Superman Comes to the Supermarket" for Esquire magazine about John F. Kennedy. Later, he wrote about the October 1967 march on the Pentagon. This became the book The Armies of the Night, which won awards, including a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. He also wrote about big events like the 1968 political conventions, the Apollo 11 moon mission, and a boxing match.

Filmmaker

Norman Mailer was not just a writer but also worked in movies. He turned one of his books, The Deer Park, into a play in 1967 and planned to film it in 2007, but couldn’t because he wasn’t feeling well.

In the late 1960s, Mailer made three unusual experimental films: Wild 90, Beyond the Law, and Maidstone. He also acted in several films, including Ragtime and Cremaster 2. Mailer worked with famous directors like Miloš Forman and Sergio Leone. He helped write scripts for TV movies like The Executioner's Song and even worked on a film about boxer Jim Braddock called Cinderella Man.

Biographer

Norman Mailer wrote books about famous people like Pablo Picasso, Muhammad Ali, Gary Gilmore, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Marilyn Monroe. He studied their lives and shared his own views.

One of his well-known books was about Marilyn Monroe, called Marilyn: A Biography. This book came out in 1973. It was different because Mailer shared his own thoughts, not just facts. The book was very popular and became a TV movie called Marilyn: The Untold Story in 1980. Mailer later wrote more about Monroe in Of Women and Their Elegance and a play named Strawhead in 1986.

Activist

Norman Mailer wrote many nonfiction books about politics. He wrote about important events like the Republican and Democratic parties. He shared his own stories and his ideas about society and history in a special way called New Journalism.

Mailer did not think the Cold War was good for America. He felt it gave the government too much power. He also did not trust politics to create real change. In one of his books, he said politics was like a game where politicians only wanted to win, not do what was right. In 1967, he was arrested for joining a protest against the Vietnam War. Later, he supported writers who spoke out against wars and unfair treatments.

Politician

Main article: New York City: the 51st State

In 1969, writer Norman Mailer tried to become the mayor of New York City. Some of his friends, like writer Gloria Steinem and political writer Noel Parmentel, encouraged him to run. Mailer wanted New York City to become the 51st state, separate from the rest of the country. He thought this would help the city by letting different neighborhoods make their own rules.

Mailer talked about many issues during his campaign, but his main idea was giving more power to local neighborhoods. Even though he didn’t win—he finished fourth—he had thoughtful ideas for the time.

Artist

Norman Mailer liked to draw and made many drawings, especially later in his life. His drawings were inspired by the style of Picasso. In 2007, his artwork was shown at the Berta Walker Gallery in Provincetown. Today, his drawings can be seen on the online arts community POBA - Where the Arts Live.

Recurring themes

Norman Mailer wrote about big ideas like life, freedom, and what makes us who we are. He was interested in what it means to feel truly alive in a world that he thought was becoming too similar for everyone.

Mailer believed that being strong and true to yourself sometimes meant going against what society wants. He often wrote about characters who fought rules and norms. He also thought about politics and how leaders should act.

His books sometimes talked about how men and women relate to each other, and he liked music, especially jazz. He admired many African-American artists for their bravery and spirit.

Personal life

Norman Mailer was married six times and had nine children. His first marriage was to Beatrice Silverman, and they had one child before they divorced. He later married Adele Morales, and they had two daughters together. Sadly, there was a serious problem between them, and Mailer went to a hospital. They later divorced. Mailer married several more times and had children with each of his wives.

Mailer worked on projects with some of his children. In 2005, he wrote a book with his youngest son, John Buffalo Mailer. He also appeared in a television show with another son, Stephen Mailer. Mailer had many relationships beyond his marriages and was known for his strong personality and public debates.

Death

Norman Mailer passed away on November 10, 2007, because of a health problem with his kidneys. This happened one month after he had surgery on his lungs at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. He is buried in Provincetown Cemetery in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Legacy

Norman Mailer was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. In 1974, he was on the Nobel committee's shortlist.

Many places keep his work safe for people to learn from. Over a thousand boxes of his papers are stored at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin. Groups like the Norman Mailer Society and the Norman Mailer Center work to keep his writing alive. In 2009, they started the Norman Mailer Prize to honor great writers.

In 2018, a special collection of Mailer's books and essays from the 1960s was published. Some think his ideas about changes in America are still important today. That same year, a bronze plaque was placed in Long Branch, New Jersey where his family’s old hotel once stood.

In 2019, a room like Mailer’s last study was created at Wilkes University. It holds many of his books and papers. Later that year, his daughter Susan wrote a book about her life with her father. In 2023, a film about Mailer’s life was released.

Works

Norman Mailer was a talented writer who wrote many books and stories. Some of his most famous books are The Naked and the Dead, written in 1948, and The Executioner's Song. He also wrote nonfiction books like The Armies of the Night.

Mailer wrote in many styles, including novels, plays, essays, and poetry. His work talked about many subjects, such as politics and art. He also wrote about famous people, like in his book Marilyn: A Biography.

Decorations and awards

Norman Mailer got many awards for his writing. In 1969, he won the Pulitzer Prize, the George Polk Award, and the National Book Award for his book The Armies of the Night. He also got an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Rutgers University.

He won more awards later. In 1980, he won another Pulitzer Prize for Executioner's Song. In 2000, he got the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature. In 2002, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Jones Literary Society. In 2005, he got the National Book Award for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.