Norman Mailer

[dondada]

I take it I'm the only one who thought "The Fight" was dull and too wordy then?

It reminded me of Michael Murray's autobiography, far too concerned with sounding clever than being a decent read. I accept most people will see the above line as a terrible slur on Mailer but sorry "The Fight" just didn't do it for me although I accept I could quite possibly be in a minority of 1.

RIP Norman though, I did enjoy some of his other stuff and clearly he was a great character.

No you're not the only one - 'The Fight' veers from bits of very engaging, insightful prose which are evocative of boxing to lengthy spells of overwriting.

However, you must be completely insane to compare the book to Murray's autobiography (no offence intended).

My favourite Mailer anecdote is when he crazily agreed to chair a discussion on feminism, recorded live in New York. I don't think I saw another male face there but some real heavyweight female hitters were and feminism seemed to be at its height - you know, the likes of Germaine Greer were incredibly popular.

Mailer had absolutely zero support and if any of the so-called intellectual women piped up - even if what they were saying was shite - they were cheered to the rafters. Every utterance from Mailer, even if nondescript, was greeted with derision.

At one point, Mailer (remembering this was recorded live for telly and there were hundreds of bra burners there) just said, "I'm not going to sit here and let you harridans harangue me...tug my forelock and say 'Yes'm'. F*ck you!"

I paraphrase but it was class.

R.I.P. Norman Mailer - one crazy, talented guy.

[fatton]

I take it I'm the only one who thought "The Fight" was dull and too wordy then?

It reminded me of Michael Murray's autobiography, far too concerned with sounding clever than being a decent read. I accept most people will see the above line as a terrible slur on Mailer but sorry "The Fight" just didn't do it for me although I accept I could quite possibly be in a minority of 1.

RIP Norman though, I did enjoy some of his other stuff and clearly he was a great character.

No you're not the only one - 'The Fight' veers from bits of very engaging, insightful prose which are evocative of boxing to lengthy spells of overwriting.

However, you must be completely insane to compare the book to Murray's autobiography (no offence intended).

The comparison to Murray's book was a bit tongue in cheek but I got the impression after reading it that Murray had read the fight and decided to model his "style" or writing on Mailer.

[MightyWarrior]

Of course he was far from perfect, he seemed to either get it pitch perfect, bang on the money, or massively wrong and he'd go down in flames. A bit like Tom Wolfe.

SIX marriages though, that takes some balls

I loved The Fight, but could not get through The Naked and the dead. Armies of the night has been sitting on my shelf, unread for about 2 years now. The Executioner's Song is a masterpiece of its type though, right up there with In Cold Blood.

He once bit off part of Rip Torn's ear, apparently.

Think there was talk of him and Hemmingway getting together for a heavyweight punch up as well, IBO title on the line.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I take it I'm the only one who thought "The Fight" was dull and too wordy then?

It reminded me of Michael Murray's autobiography, far too concerned with sounding clever than being a decent read. I accept most people will see the above line as a terrible slur on Mailer but sorry "The Fight" just didn't do it for me although I accept I could quite possibly be in a minority of 1.

RIP Norman though, I did enjoy some of his other stuff and clearly he was a great character.

No you're not the only one - 'The Fight' veers from bits of very engaging, insightful prose which are evocative of boxing to lengthy spells of overwriting.

However, you must be completely insane to compare the book to Murray's autobiography (no offence intended).

My favourite Mailer anecdote is when he crazily agreed to chair a discussion on feminism, recorded live in New York. I don't think I saw another male face there but some real heavyweight female hitters were and feminism seemed to be at its height - you know, the likes of Germaine Greer were incredibly popular.

Mailer had absolutely zero support and if any of the so-called intellectual women piped up - even if what they were saying was shite - they were cheered to the rafters. Every utterance from Mailer, even if nondescript, was greeted with derision.

At one point, Mailer (remembering this was recorded live for telly and there were hundreds of bra burners there) just said, "I'm not going to sit here and let you harridans harangue me...tug my forelock and say 'Yes'm'. F*ck you!"

I paraphrase but it was class.

R.I.P. Norman Mailer - one crazy, talented guy.

With you there Ian, there's a famous quote from someone I forget now, but it is along the lines of.

"I may not like the instrument you are playing, but I can appreciate the virtuosity on display anyhow."

I think this applies to mailer perfectly. While there were large chunks of 'the fight' which were hard bloody work, you had to admire the craft.

[harrygreb]

i loved "the fight" mailer applies metaphysics to just about everything and
he may well be right, at least i like to argue the point in public houses.

[MightyWarrior]

Mailer on the fatal Benny Paret / Emile Griffith fight:

“And Paret? Paret died on his feet. As he took those eighteen punches something happened to everyone who was in psychic range of the event. Some part of his death reached out to us. One felt it hover in the air. He was still standing in the ropes, trapped as he had been before he gave some little half-smile of regret, as if he were saying, “I didn’t know I was going to die just yet.”

[DavidPayne]

Some may not have liked his style, but to paraphrase something often said by commentators on boxers;

"He could flat out write."

[The Blade]

Some may not have liked his style, but to paraphrase something often said by commentators on boxers;

"He could flat out write."

He was also a wife-beating, homophobic, misogynist. McIlvanny is not my cup of tea, but if he sparked Mailer, he rises in my estimation. Maybe Mailer could write, but it doesn't fully excuse of life of self publicising obnoxiousness. Also, in the last 20 years, was he ever at a fight?