About the Journal
The Mailer Review is a scholarly journal devoted to the study of the life, work, and cultural significance of Norman Mailer. Since its founding, the journal has served as a forum for critical scholarship, archival research, and interpretive engagement with Mailer’s writing and with the literary, political, and cultural contexts in which it emerged.
Current Issue
Volume 15, Number 1 (Fall 2021) of The Mailer Review offers a rich collection of scholarly articles, personal memoirs, and creative works that explore the multifaceted legacy of Norman Mailer. Edited by Phillip Sipiora, this issue marks a significant moment in Mailer studies, coinciding with the publication of several major books on the author and looking forward to his 2023 centenary.
The volume features a diverse range of scholarly explorations and miscellany, including:
Literary Intersections: A previously unpublished 1988 interview with Mailer provides deep insights into his complex relationship and friendship with James Baldwin. Robert J. Begiebing presents a creative “interview” between Mailer and Walt Whitman on the tenets of American democracy, while Lawrence R. Broer compares the existential quests of Mailer and Jack Kerouac.
Thematic Analyses: Jason Mosser examines the evolution of the “White Negro” from Mailer’s hipsters to Hunter S. Thompson’s bikers, and Raymond M. Vince continues a study on the elusiveness of myth and skepticism in Mailer and Joseph Conrad.
Fictional Foundations: This issue provides a special focus on Mailer’s early work, with Phillip Sipiora analyzing early short fiction like “Love-Buds” and Gerald R. Lucas examining transitional stories from 1951–52 that acted as a proving ground for later subversive ideas.
Memoirs and Reflections: Barbara Mailer Wasserman shares a poignant excerpt from her memoir, Love of My Life, recounting a memorable dinner in Maine, and J. Michael Lennon offers a commentary on the contrasting romanticisms of Mailer and Joan Didion.
Creative and Dramatic Works: The collection includes “A Parley in Brooklyn,” a closet drama by Peter Lennon imagining a conversation between Mailer and Thomas Hardy, alongside an extensive selection of poetry and creative prose from twenty contributors.
In addition to its original articles, the volume serves as a critical resource through its comprehensive book review section, which covers new biographies of Philip Roth and James Baldwin, as well as works on cinema and trauma. It also contains a classic interpretation of The Executioner’s Song by Robert Merrill and the updated Norman Mailer bibliography for 2020.
Reflections
Articles
Review Essays
Interviews
Classic Interpretations
Book Reviews
Creative Works
Bibliography
Support Mailer’s Legacy
The Mailer Review is published by the Norman Mailer Society, which keeps Mailer’s work in conversation through the journal, an annual conference, and a community of scholars, writers, and readers. Members receive each new volume of the Review.
