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, with at least one in each decade after World War II. 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 and being part of many discussions about culture. He helped start The Village Voice, a newspaper in Greenwich Village, and even tried to become the mayor of New York, though he didn’t win. Mailer married six times and had nine children during his life.

Early life

Nachem "Norman" Malech Mailer was born into a Jewish family in Long Branch, New Jersey on January 31, 1923. His father was an accountant from South Africa, 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. Though he studied engineering, he also took writing classes and published his first story at age 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 later 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 about counterculture. In 1955, he helped start The Village Voice and wrote a column called "Quickly: A Column for Slow Readers" for a few months. His famous essay "The White Negro" from 1957 talked about a person who goes against society’s rules. It became very well-known and controversial.

In 1960, Mailer wrote "Superman Comes to the Supermarket" for Esquire magazine about John F. Kennedy and the Democratic Party convention. Later, he wrote a long piece about the October 1967 march on the Pentagon, which became the book The Armies of the Night. It won important awards, including a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. Mailer also wrote books about big events, such as the 1968 political conventions, the Apollo 11 moon mission, and a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

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 biographies focusing on famous people like Pablo Picasso, Muhammad Ali, Gary Gilmore, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Marilyn Monroe. He saw these people as examples of strong personalities and used his own experiences to explore their lives.

One of his most famous books was about Marilyn Monroe, published in 1973, called Marilyn: A Biography. This book was different from typical biographies because Mailer added his own ideas and guesses instead of just facts. The book became very popular and was even turned into a TV movie called Marilyn: The Untold Story in 1980. Mailer later wrote two more works featuring Monroe’s voice: Of Women and Their Elegance in 1980 and a play called Strawhead in 1986.

Activist

Norman Mailer wrote many nonfiction books about politics. He covered important political events like the conventions of the Republican and Democratic parties over many years. He often shared his own life stories along with his views on society, history, and current events in a unique way that helped shape what is called New Journalism.

Mailer did not believe the Cold War was good for America. He thought it made the government too powerful and involved in people’s daily lives. He also did not trust politics as a way to make real change. In one of his books, he compared politics to a game where politicians only care about winning, not doing what is right. In 1967, he was arrested for taking part in 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 believed this would help the city by letting different neighborhoods make their own rules for schools, police, and housing.

Mailer talked about many issues during his campaign, but the main idea was giving more power to local neighborhoods. Even though he didn’t win—he finished fourth out of five candidates—people said his ideas were serious and thoughtful 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's writing often explored deep ideas about life, freedom, and who we are as people. He was very interested in what it means to feel truly alive in a world he thought was becoming too controlled and alike for everyone.

Mailer believed that being strong and true to oneself sometimes meant going against what society wants. He often wrote about characters who fought against rules and norms. He also thought a lot about politics and how leaders should act, sometimes praising them and other times pointing out their flaws. As he got older, Mailer began to think more about deeper meanings and the big questions of life.

His books sometimes talked about how men and women relate to each other in powerful ways, and he was also very interested in music, especially jazz. He admired many African-American artists and thought their bravery and spirit challenged traditional ideas about masculinity.

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 divorcing. He later married Adele Morales, and they had two daughters together. Unfortunately, there was a serious incident between them which led to Mailer spending time in a hospital. They eventually divorced. Mailer went on to marry several more times and had children with each of his wives.

Throughout his life, Mailer worked on projects with some of his children. In 2005, he co-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, from a health problem related to his kidneys. This happened just a 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 and was once on the Nobel committee's shortlist in 1974.

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 created many books and stories over his long career. Some of his most famous novels include The Naked and the Dead, written in 1948, and The Executioner's Song, which won awards. He also wrote nonfiction books like The Armies of the Night, sharing his views on important events.

Mailer wrote in many different styles, from novels and plays to essays and poetry. His work covered many topics, from politics to art, showing his wide range as a writer. Some of his books even explore the lives of famous people, like his biography Marilyn: A Biography.

Decorations and awards

Norman Mailer received many awards for his writing and work over the years. 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 received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Rutgers University.

Later, he won more awards, including another Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for Executioner's Song, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature in 2000. He was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Jones Literary Society in 2002 and the National Book Award for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2005.