About
Norman Mailer, born January 31, 1923 in Long Branch, New Jersey, and died November 10, 2007 in New York, was a major American writer of the 20th century. He grew up in Brooklyn and entered Harvard at 16, where he studied aeronautical engineering before turning to literature. His first novel, The Naked and the Dead (1948), based on his WWII experience, was an immediate success. Mailer is considered a pioneer of 'New Journalism,' blending reportage with fictional techniques. He won two Pulitzer Prizes: for The Armies of the Night (1968) and The Executioner's Song (1979), becoming the only writer to win the prize in both fiction and nonfiction categories.
* 1923-01-28 — † 2007-11-10
Major works
- The Naked and the Dead (1948)novel
- The Armies of the Night (1968)nonfiction narrative
- The Executioner's Song (1979)nonfiction narrative
- The Fight (1975)nonfiction narrative
- Ancient Evenings (1983)novel
Key milestones
- 1948Publication of his first novel, The Naked and the Dead, which has never gone out of print.
- 1955Co-founded The Village Voice weekly newspaper.
- 1969Unsuccessful run for mayor of New York City.
Themes
War and violencePower and politicsMasculinityHistory and memoryNarrative journalism
Sources: catdir.loc.gov · nationalbook.org · britannica.com
