The Enduring Vision of Norman Mailer [Paperback]

Barry H. Leeds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

Cultural Writing. THE ENDURING VISION OF NORMAN MAILER is Professor Barry H. Leeds' second book about one of America's most respected, most controversial, and most prolific authors. It looks at Mailer from where Leeds' first volume left off and takes him on through his most recent works. "Leeds' ideas are engaging, his enthusiasm infectious, and his prose mercifully free of critical jargon.Recommended for contemporary literature collections"--William Gargan in Library Journal. This is literary criticism with a heart and soul, and with an appreciation of subject which is so often missed in contemporary analysis.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Leeds (English, Central Connecticut State Univ.; The Structured Vision of Norman Mailer) is an unabashed Mailer fan. The present book, which is more subjective than his earlier volume, treats the themes of women and heterosexuality, politics, and ritualized violence in Mailer's work. Leeds focuses on the writer's later works, but he returns repeatedly to An American Dream, a novel he deems central to Mailer's artistic vision. Leeds's ideas are engaging, his enthusiasm infectious, and his prose mercifully free of critical jargon. His generous use of quotations may draw readers back to Mailer's works, something Leeds no doubt intends in a book that is more celebration than literary critique. Leeds's 1987 interview with Mailer and a brief review essay on books about Mailer are included. A chapter titled "Mailer and Me" tells more about Leeds than Mailer, a fault that might leave the author open to a charge of self-indulgence. Nevertheless, the book provides a useful introduction to Mailer and his work. Recommended for contemporary literature collections. William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

I enjoyed reading this book immensely; it is a fine addition to the Mailer critical canon. -- J. Michael Lennon, Mailer Archivist and co-author of Norman Mailer: Works and Days

Insightful, incisive, witty, compelling - the volume suggests provocative ways of looking at a major writer in his own time. -- Barbara Lupack, author of Insanity as Redemption in Contemporary American Fiction

Leeds' ideas are engaging, his enthusiasm infectious, and his prose mercifully free of critical jargon... Recommended for contemporary literature collections. -- William Gargan, Library Journal, December 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Pleasure Boat Studio (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929355114
• ISBN-13: 978-1929355112
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,652,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing., March 18, 2002

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Kim (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Enduring Vision of Norman Mailer (Paperback)

Charming, witty, insightful, emotional....I read this book in one sitting because I was unable to put it down. Barry Leeds has given us a wonderful look into Norman Mailer's life and career. Chapter 9-Mailer and Me is a very personal glimpse into the author's life-how he came to know Norman Mailer, along with his own very personal triumphs and tragedies. You will be incredibly moved.