Norman Kingsley Mailer, the author of more than 40 books, encompassing fiction, journalism, poetry, essays, and interview collections, was a prolific and brilliant writer, but he is nearly as well known for his charisma and instigative prodding, his mayoral candidacy and threatened presidential run, his love of boxing, his insatiable promiscuity, and his penchant for settling scores with a firm head-butt. These competing facets of his personality—at once his greatest asset and his hopeless Achilles heel—created fantastic and inspired friction in all aspects of his life.
Category: Biography Page 9 of 10
J. Michael Lennon wrote to his hero in 1972 and became his pen pal, friend, and collaborator before writing the revealing new biography Norman Mailer: A Double Life.
Dear Friends,
Today I received the first copy of Norman Mailer: A Double Life, which gave me a clear and present thrill. The bio came in at 947 pages—763 of text, the rest are devoted to notes, bibliography, index, and acknowledgements. The photos, 53 of them, are clear and well-presented. Most of them have not been seen before.
It will be in bookstores on October 15, and I am told that reviews of it should begin appearing around that time. Amazon has just reduced the price of the book to $24; the e-book version is $19.99.
Simon & Schuster publicity chief, Maureen Cole, just sent me the attached information sheet on the bio, and a brief Q and A. If you would like to review the book, or have questions about readings and appearances, she can be contacted at maureen.cole@simonandschuster.
Thanks to all of you who helped me on this project over the past seven years, and earlier. There is always a posse of supporters riding with biographers to round up the information needed for their books, and I am fortunate to have so many thoughtful friends and colleagues helping out.
Gratefully,
Mike
Years ago, in my very early twenties, I set out to write a book. I started a routine. I no longer drank, so I substituted a glass bottle of sparkling water for beer (similar heft), thrived on a diet of Parliament Lights and iced coffee, and always took a nap in the afternoon. For inspiration in the early mornings, though, I turned to Norman Mailer’s book on writing, “The Spooky Art.” I would read passages for motivation; it was as if Mailer, like the boxing coach in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, was a few steps behind me, over my shoulder in a hooded sweatshirt, imparting brutal words of encouragement: never skip out on the muse, write every day, and, please, for the sake of your readers, don’t be such a chicken shit.
Dr. J. Michael Lennon is the man who helped Mailer put “The Spooky Art” together. Lennon, an author and professor at Wilkes University, also collaborated on Mailer’s last book, “On God: An Uncommon Conversation.” Since Mailer’s death in Nov. 2007, Lennon has been at work on the only authorized biography of Mailer’s life, a 300,000 word volume that will be published by Simon&Schuster. At the same time, he’s played a major role in establishing The Norman Mailer Writers Colony in Provincetown, MA.
Kirkus Reviews names Norman Mailer: A Double Life one of this fall’s hottest biographies.
Norman Mailer: A Double Life named in The Atlantic Wire as an essential fall book.
