NORMAN MAILER, it's fair to say, isn't as fashionable as he once was. For much of his life he was considered a towering figure of post-war American literature. By the end of it, though-and especially since his death in 2007 he's more often been regarded as a regrettable macho relic, with his taste for booze, fighting and philandering his way through no less than six marriages.
Most notoriously, in November 1960, while optimistically standing for mayor of New York, he drunkenly stabbed his second wife, Adele, almost killing her. This, not surprisingly, ended his mayoral campaign-but such was Mailer's ego that he continued to think of himself as an important political force, whose advice would surely be sought by President Kennedy.
But of course, while all this (and plenty more) might well make him worthy of disapproval, it certainly doesn't make him boring-as Richard Bradford's new biography exhilaratingly and clearly proves.
Born in 1923, Mailer grew up in Jewish Brooklyn, entered Harvard at 16 and scored a huge bestseller with his first novel The Naked and the Dead (1948), based on his army experiences in the Second World War. From there he was soon launched into a level of literary superstardom that's hard to imagine now and into that unfailingly rackety adult life of his.
To be honest, Bradford's book isn't without flaws. For my money, it rather overdoes the moralistic finger-wagging and seems unwilling to admit that Mailer ever wrote anything worth reading. There are also some factual errors, including a confusion between Republican and Democrat candidates in presidential elections. Fortunately, the story itself is so gripping (even jaw-dropping) that it easily triumphs over such shortcomings. Take, for example, this typical passage...
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?