Norman Mailer Gone; Gore Vidal Lives
I wanted to write an obituary befitting a guy who left a body of work as lengthy and sometimes brilliant as Norman Mailer did. The NY Times covered his passing thoroughly and Wikipedia gives good background.
The Village Voice, which he co-founded, has yet to put up anything, which I presume will occur Tuesday. The Voice, btw, is certainly a highly laudatory achievement in itself.
But the reality is, other than some of the Executioner’s Song, published in Playboy, I never read the guy. I knew he was a leading author, from TV appearances I knew he could be interesting and obnoxious, but, though I liked historical fiction, most of his topic matter simply didn’t appeal to me.
I guess others can provide something noteworthy to say. Even when I look up his quotes I find myself uninspired.
He’s gone is all. I’m glad Gore Vidal still lives.
