Norman Mailer

Martin Kich (Wright State University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

Born 31 Jan 1923
Died 10 Nov 2007
Activity 1943-2007

Places

Born in United States
Active in United States

Cultural Identities

Jewish American

Activities

Primary

Biographer
Essayist
Literary Critic/ Historian
Novelist
Playwright / Dramatist
Political writer

Other

Anthologist
Autobiographer
Journalist
Poet
Soldier
Story-writer

Resources

Mailer's Works

Save to Bookshelf

It is open to argument whether Norman Mailer is one of the major

novelists

of his generation, but he is certainly one of the greatest

writers

and is arguably the most singular literary figure of his generation. What makes Mailer most difficult to discuss is the same thing that made Ernest Hemingway difficult to discuss: his public persona has become so outsized that it has not only colored the composition and reception of his work, but it has in some ways completely overshadowed the work, fixing preconceptions about the work in the minds of both casual readers and students of literature who may have read relatively little of what has become a daunting body of work. It may be true of all writers, but it is especially true of Mailer that we may not know how “good” his work really is…

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4631 words

Citation: Kich, Martin. "Norman Mailer". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 March 2003; last revised 10 November 2007. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2882, accessed 22 November 2024.]