No Pre-Fabricated Words

Norman Mailer and Inventive Biography

Authors

  • Bob Batchelor Miami University Author

Keywords:

Advertisements for Myself, biography, self-invention, creative nonfiction, F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Crack-Up”

Abstract

Advertisements for Myself (1959) defies categorization, mixing fiction, memoir, journalism, and creative nonfiction essays in a new style that Mailer would continue to shape and sharpen for decades. Few written works can match it line-by-line or paragraph-by-paragraph for pure intellectual power. Advertisements is an epic example of Mailer’s sharp wit, wide-ranging mind, and striking fragility.

Author Biography

  • Bob Batchelor, Miami University

    Bob Batchelor is a cultural historian and writer and he teaches at Miami University. Batchelor has written or edited more than 25 books, including Mad Men: A Cultural History (2016). He edits five book series for Rowman & Littlefield, including “Contemporary American Literature” and “The Cultural History of Television.” Among his books are John Updike: A Critical Biography (2013) and Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel (2014). He is the founding editor of the Popular Culture Studies Journal and a member of the editorial advisory board of The Journal of Popular Culture. Batchelor also serves as director of marketing & media for The John Updike Childhood Home Museum in Reading, PA. For more information, visit www.bobbatchelor.com.

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Published

2016-09-28

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2016): 10th Anniversary Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Batchelor, Bob. “No Pre-Fabricated Words: Norman Mailer and Inventive Biography”. The Mailer Review, vol. 10, no. 1, Sept. 2016, pp. 117–128, https://mailerreview.org/journal/article/view/562.