I feel sad and disjointed today knowing that there won't be any more new work from Norman Mailer. I love his writing the way I love Hemingway, the way I love Didion. He was able to bring out the truth and beauty in a simple story without gussying it up. And he was truly connected to his time--his best work forms a chronicle of the last half of the 20th Century in America.
I particularly have a soft spot for Norman Mailer because he appeared on Gilmore Girls and spoke of the show so kindly in this interview:
...for some reason I find Gilmore Girls kind of agreeable. The character Lorelai reminds me very much of my second-oldest daughter, Danielle—both of them are like beautiful hummingbirds, constantly talking and adjusting what they say, quick to the breeze.He also wrote this book--one of my top 5, for sure--which I carried around Chicago with me for three months in the winter of 2002. I love it because it is Utah and my childhood. And, truly, anyone who can make Gary Gilmore beautiful is an amazing writer.
I've been scanning it for 20 minutes trying to find a representative quote, but it doesn't lend itself to easy excerpting because it is built with a mound of facts and quotes. Luckily, the L.A. Times has already done it, and I'll just crib from them (they get paid for this, after all):
Nielsen had his secretary bring a cup of coffee. Then he said, "Lieutenant Skinner is going to sign a complaint charging you with the homicide of Max Jensen." After a short pause, Gary said, "Hey, I really feel bad about those two guys. I read one of their obituaries in the paper last night. He was a young man and had a kid and he was a missionary. Makes me really feel bad."
"Gary, I feel bad too. I can't understand taking a life for the amount of money you got."
Gary replied, "I don't know how much I got. What was there?"
Nielsen said, "It was $125, and in Provo, approximately the same amount." Gary began to cry. He didn't weep with any noise but there were tears in his eyes. He said, "I hope they execute me for it. I ought to die for what I did."
