Book
Norman Mailer : a double life / J. Michael Lennon.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781439150191 (hardcover) :
- Physical Description: 947 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.
- Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York ; Simon & Schuster, 2013.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Mailer, Norman. Authors, American > 20th century > Biography. Journalists > United States > Biography. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud Branch | 813.54 Maile-L | 31681002685881 | NONFIC | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
Drawing on extensive interviews and unpublished letters, an authoritative biography of the eminent novelist, journalist, and controversial public figure chronicles his career and his self-conscious effort to create a distinctive identity for himself. - Baker & Taylor
Drawing on extensive interviews and unpublished letters, as well as his own encounters with Mailer, this authoritative biography of the eminent novelist, journalist and controversial public figure chronicles his entire career and his self-conscious effort to create a distinctive identity for himself. - Simon and Schuster
From the biographer who knew Norman Mailer for decades comes the definitive, authorized portrait of the eminent novelist, journalist, and controversial public figure, based on extensive interviews and unpublished letters.
Norman Mailer was one of the giants of American letters and one of the most celebrated public figures of his time. He was a novelist, journalist, biographer, and filmmaker; a provocateur and passionate observer of his times; and a husband, father, and serial philanderer.
Perhaps nothing characterized Mailer more than his unbounded ambition. He wanted not merely to be the greatest writer of his generation, but a writer great enough to be compared to Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. As Michael Lennon describes, he even had presidential ambitions, although he settled for running for mayor of New York City. He championed personal freedom and civil liberties, calling himself a âleft conservative,â and yet he was Enemy #1 of the Womenâs Movement. He was as pugnacious in real life as in print, engaging in famous feuds and fights. Although he considered himself first and foremost a novelist, his greatest literary contribution may have been in journalism, where he used his novelistic gifts in tandem with self-revelation to explore the American psyche. In that regard, the subtitle of his Pulitzer Prizeâ and National Book Awardâwinning Armies of the Night is telling: âHistory as a Novel, the Novel as History.â He would return to certain subjects obsessively: John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, sex, technology, and the intricate relationship of fame and identity. Michael Lennonâs definitive biography captures Mailer in all his sharp complexities and shows us how he self-consciously invented and reinvented himself throughout his lifetime.
Michael Lennon knew Mailer for thirty-five years, and in writing this biography, he has had the cooperation of Mailerâs late widow, Norris Church, his ex-wives, and all of his children, as well as his sister, Barbara. He also had access to Mailerâs vast, unpublished correspondence and papers, and he interviewed dozens of people who knew Mailer. Norman Mailer: A Double Life gives us the man in full, a remarkable and unique figure in the context of his times.
