
The Novel That Norman Mailer Didn’t Write (2013) - lermontov
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-novel-that-norman-mailer-didnt-write
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mlthoughts2018
> “Norman Mailer was one of the most original and powerful writers of the
> twentieth century, but he never wrote a truly great novel.”

What a bizarre thing to write about the author of The Executioner’s Song.

I mean it with absolute sincerity when I say in 100 years, The Executioner’s
Song will be regarded as the single greatest literary work of the English
language.

Greater than Shakespeare, Chaucer, Hemingway, Wallace, Milton,
transcendentalists, feminists, poets, colonial philosophers and political
scientists.

I mean, is it stupid to try to force rank all English literature? Yes,
absolutely.

But if you did, I’m telling you The Executioner’s Song is coming out on top.

~~~
ericmcer
I would disqualify it just based on the fact that it is very based in American
politics and culture at a distinct time period. It also doesn’t really push
form in any interesting ways.

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mlthoughts2018
It pushes form in one of the most amazing ways of any book. The economy of
writing is amazing. It’s a masterclass in how to say more with less - and it’s
a long book. A long book full of extremely short passages that somehow feel
full of vivid detail. I think it’s a very deliberate style and form to reflect
American culture with that way of writing.

