Archives

  • 15th Anniversary Issue
    Vol. 15 No. 1 (2021)

    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    Literary Intersections: A previously unpublished 1988 interview with Mailer provides deep insights into his complex relationship and friendship with James Baldwin.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.

  • Vol. 14 No. 1 (2020)

    Volume 14 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2020) brings together new scholarship, interviews, archival materials, and creative work that collectively underscore the continuing vitality of Norman Mailer studies. The issue opens with reflections by editor Phillip Sipiora and includes memorial tributes honoring Beverly Bentley and Christopher Busa, two figures central to Mailer’s personal and publishing worlds.

    Major scholarly essays extend the journal’s ongoing project of situating Mailer within broader literary and intellectual traditions. Robert J. Begiebing examines Lipton’s Journal alongside Ralph Waldo Emerson’s journals, while Raymond M. Vince explores Mailer’s engagement with Joseph Conrad through questions of tradition, narrative, and modernity. Additional essays address Mailer’s critical relationship with Mary McCarthy, his engagement with noir aesthetics in Tough Guys Don’t Dance, and the ethical and imaginative dimensions of his work across genres.

    Volume 14 is especially rich in interviews and primary materials, featuring conversations with Norman Mailer conducted by Legs McNeil and J. Michael Lennon, as well as Sipiora’s extended interview with Maggie McKinley on her scholarly life. The issue also includes Mailer’s Wilkes University commencement address and an updated installment of Norman Mailer: Works and Days, continuing the journal’s commitment to documentary scholarship.

    Rounding out the volume are classic interpretations, book reviews, and creative works that reflect Mailer’s enduring influence on contemporary writers and critics. Taken together, Volume 14 exemplifies The Mailer Review’s dual mission: to advance rigorous critical inquiry while preserving and contextualizing the living archive of Mailer’s life, work, and legacy.

  • Vol. 13 No. 1 (2019)

    Volume 13 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2019) reflects a moment of renewed synthesis in Mailer studies, bringing together archival discovery, critical reassessment, and international scholarly exchange. 

    A defining feature of Volume 13 is its attention to Mailer’s global reception and political imagination. Several essays examine Mailer’s work in transnational contexts, addressing his engagement with Cold War geopolitics, American empire, and international intellectual traditions. Contributions by scholars such as Raymond M. Vince, Victor Peppard, and Robert J. Begiebing revisit key texts including Harlot’s Ghost, The Armies of the Night, and Miami and the Siege of Chicago, situating them within broader debates about power, surveillance, ideology, and narrative authority.

    The volume also places particular emphasis on Mailer’s nonfiction as an experimental literary form, foregrounding questions of voice, historiography, and self-representation. Essays explore Mailer’s blending of journalism, autobiography, and novelistic technique, underscoring the formal risks that continue to make his nonfiction central to discussions of postwar American literature.

    Volume 13 further extends The Mailer Review’s commitment to documentary scholarship and intellectual community. The issue includes interviews, reflections, and book reviews that illuminate Mailer’s ongoing presence in contemporary criticism, as well as an updated bibliography that reinforces the journal’s function as a key research resource for scholars.

    Taken together, Volume 13 demonstrates The Mailer Review’s dual investment in critical rigor and scholarly infrastructure. The issue captures a field attentive to Mailer’s enduring relevance as a political writer and formal innovator, while also sustaining the archival and institutional labor necessary to support the next phase of Mailer studies.

  • Vol. 12 No. 1 (2018)

    Volume 12 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2018) is shaped by a renewed emphasis on archival recovery, documentary scholarship, and the consolidation of Mailer studies as an international field. The volume is situated within a moment of expanding institutional recognition for Norman Mailer, most notably the inclusion of Mailer in the Library of America with The 1960s Collection, edited by J. Michael Lennon. Sipiora frames this milestone alongside the continued growth of scholarly resources, new editions, and archival projects that have reshaped the study of Mailer’s work in recent years.

    That emphasis on primary materials is central to the volume. Volume 12 features “The Notebook,” a previously unpublished short work by Norman Mailer, presented both in facsimile images and in full transcription, underscoring the journal’s commitment to making archival materials accessible to scholars. The issue also includes essays and reflections by members of the Mailer family, including Susan Mailer and Danielle Mailer, offering personal and spatial perspectives on Mailer’s life and legacy.

    Scholarly essays in the volume address a wide range of critical concerns, from Mailer’s engagement with quantum theory and Cold War science to political theory, gender, autobiography, and narrative experimentation. Contributions by Robert J. Begiebing, J. Michael Lennon, Raymond M. Vince, Victor Peppard, and others revisit central texts such as Lipton’s Journal, The Executioner’s Song, Harlot’s Ghost, and Advertisements for Myself, while situating Mailer within broader literary, philosophical, and historical contexts.

    Volume 12 also reflects the journal’s expanding international and interdisciplinary reach, with essays addressing Mailer’s political thought, transatlantic literary affiliations, and ongoing relevance to contemporary critical debates. Taken together, the issue exemplifies The Mailer Review’s dual mission: to preserve and publish primary materials essential to Mailer scholarship while sustaining rigorous, historically informed critical inquiry into his work and legacy.

  • Vol. 11 No. 1 (2017)

    Volume 11 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2017) documents a moment of transition and continuity in Mailer studies, shaped both by institutional challenges and by an expanding range of critical and archival work. A central feature of Volume 11 is its attention to Mailer’s presence beyond the printed page, particularly in film, biography, and lived cultural memory. The issue includes Sipiora’s interview with Michael Mailer, which offers insight into Mailer’s work in cinema and the transmission of artistic legacy across generations. Several essays examine Mailer’s engagement with film and visual culture, including analyses of Beyond the Law and Mailer’s broader experiments with genre and performance.

    The volume also foregrounds biographical and familial perspectives, including reflections on Mailer’s early life and public persona. Essays and reminiscences address Mailer’s Jewish identity, childhood, and formative environments, while a collaborative piece by Gregory Bellow, Kaylie Jones, and Susan Mailer explores the experience of growing up as the children of major American writers. These contributions expand the scope of Mailer studies by situating his work within networks of family, influence, and inheritance.

    Volume 11 further serves as a site of remembrance and scholarly continuity. Sipiora marks the passing of Andrew M. Gordon, a longtime contributor to Mailer studies, and the issue includes Gordon’s essay on Mailer’s 1986 visit to Gainesville, preserving both critical insight and historical record. The volume is rounded out by book reviews, creative works, and an updated bibliography compiled by Shannon L. Zinck, reinforcing the journal’s role as a key research resource.

    Taken together, Volume 11 reflects The Mailer Review’s ongoing commitment to combining critical analysis, documentary preservation, and personal history. The issue captures a field attentive not only to interpretation but also to legacy, loss, and the institutional labor required to sustain long-term scholarly inquiry.

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

    Volume 10 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2016) marks a milestone in the journal’s history, reflecting a decade of sustained scholarly engagement with the life and work of Norman Mailer. The volume brings together essays, interviews, archival materials, and reviews that both extend and deepen the critical conversations that have defined Mailer studies since the journal’s founding.

    The scholarly essays in this issue revisit major works while also exploring lesser-known texts and moments in Mailer’s career. Contributors address enduring concerns such as political power, historical imagination, masculinity, narrative authority, and ethical risk, with particular attention to Mailer’s formal experimentation across fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid genres. Several essays situate Mailer within broader literary and cultural frameworks, underscoring his complex position within postwar and late-twentieth-century American letters.

    Volume 10 also continues The Mailer Review’s distinctive integration of criticism with documentary and personal perspectives. Interviews, reflections, and archival features illuminate Mailer’s working practices, professional relationships, and public interventions, offering valuable insight into the institutional and collaborative contexts that shaped his career. These materials reinforce the journal’s commitment to preserving not only Mailer’s texts but also the conditions of their production and reception.

    As a tenth-anniversary volume, Volume 10 exemplifies The Mailer Review’s dual mission: to advance rigorous critical inquiry while sustaining an evolving archival record of Mailer’s life and work. The issue reflects a field confident in its methods and questions, continuing to test Mailer’s relevance through sustained analysis rather than settled consensus.

  • Maestro
    Vol. 9 No. 1 (2015)

    Volume 9 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2015) demonstrates the continued vitality and intellectual breadth of Mailer studies as the journal enters a more fully established phase of scholarly production. The volume brings together critical essays, interviews, archival materials, and reviews that further extend the scope of inquiry into Norman Mailer’s writing and cultural legacy.

    The scholarly essays in this issue engage Mailer’s work across genres and historical moments, addressing recurring concerns such as political power, narrative authority, masculinity, violence, and ethical risk. Contributors examine both canonical texts and less frequently discussed works, emphasizing Mailer’s formal experimentation and his persistent engagement with American history and public life. Several essays situate Mailer within broader literary and theoretical conversations, underscoring his continued relevance to debates in postwar and contemporary literary studies.

    Volume 9 also sustains The Mailer Review’s characteristic integration of critical scholarship with documentary and personal perspectives. Interviews, reflections, and archival features provide insight into Mailer’s professional relationships, working practices, and public interventions, offering valuable context for understanding the institutional and collaborative dimensions of his career.

    Completed by book reviews and documentary materials, Volume 9 reinforces The Mailer Review’s role as the central forum for Mailer scholarship. The issue reflects a field attentive to interpretation, reception, and historical context, demonstrating the journal’s ongoing commitment to rigorous analysis and archival preservation as Mailer studies continue to evolve.

  • Future Bound
    Vol. 8 No. 1 (2014)

    Volume 8 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2014) reflects a phase of increasing depth and diversification within Mailer studies, as the journal continues to broaden its critical range while maintaining a strong commitment to archival and documentary scholarship. The volume brings together essays, interviews, primary materials, and reviews that collectively underscore the complexity and persistence of Norman Mailer’s literary and cultural presence.

    The scholarly essays in this issue engage Mailer’s work across genres and periods, addressing questions of history, politics, masculinity, narrative form, and ethical provocation. Contributors examine both major texts and less frequently discussed works, emphasizing Mailer’s formal experimentation and his sustained engagement with American power, violence, and identity. Several essays situate Mailer within evolving critical conversations, demonstrating the adaptability of his work to new interpretive frameworks.

    Volume 8 also sustains The Mailer Review’s characteristic integration of critical analysis with personal and documentary perspectives. Interviews, reflections, and archival features provide insight into Mailer’s professional life, collaborative relationships, and public interventions, offering valuable context for understanding how his work circulated and functioned within specific cultural and institutional settings.

    With its combination of rigorous scholarship and historical documentation, Volume 8 further affirms The Mailer Review’s role as the central forum for Mailer studies. The issue reflects a field attentive not only to textual interpretation but also to reception, legacy, and literary labor, reinforcing the journal’s commitment to both critical inquiry and archival preservation.

  • A Double Life • Mind of an Outlaw
    Vol. 7 No. 1 (2013)

    Volume 7 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2013) continues the journal’s sustained reassessment of Norman Mailer’s literary, political, and cultural legacy, reflecting a field that has fully entered a phase of mature scholarly engagement. The volume brings together critical essays, interviews, archival materials, and reviews that further refine the questions animating contemporary Mailer studies.

    The scholarly contributions in this issue revisit central works while also expanding attention to lesser-studied texts, genres, and moments in Mailer’s career. Essays address Mailer’s negotiations with history, power, masculinity, narrative authority, and moral risk, emphasizing the formal and rhetorical strategies through which his writing engages political and cultural conflict. Several contributions situate Mailer within broader literary traditions and intellectual contexts, reinforcing his complex position within postwar American literature.

    Volume 7 also maintains The Mailer Review’s characteristic integration of criticism with documentary and personal perspectives. Interviews, reflections, and archival features illuminate Mailer’s working life, professional relationships, and public presence, offering insight into the institutional and collaborative dimensions of his career. These materials complement the scholarly essays by foregrounding the conditions under which Mailer’s work was produced, circulated, and debated.

    With its combination of rigorous analysis and historical documentation, Volume 7 further consolidates The Mailer Review’s role as the central forum for Mailer scholarship. The issue reflects a field attentive not only to interpretation but also to context, reception, and legacy, demonstrating the continuing vitality and complexity of Mailer studies.

  • Why Mailer Matters
    Vol. 6 No. 1 (2012)

    Volume 6 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2012) is organized around the central argument about “Why Mailer Matters,” bringing together scholarship and reflection that directly confront Norman Mailer’s contested place in literary and cultural history. Rather than assuming Mailer’s importance, the volume asks contributors to articulate, defend, and complicate the grounds on which his work continues to demand attention in the twenty-first century.

    The essays in this issue examine Mailer’s significance across multiple registers, including literary form, political engagement, historical imagination, and cultural provocation. Contributors reassess major works alongside less frequently discussed texts, addressing long-standing debates surrounding Mailer’s treatments of power, masculinity, violence, gender, and authorship. Several essays engage contemporary critical frameworks, demonstrating how Mailer’s writing both resists and invites feminist, ethical, and theoretical critique.

    In addition to scholarly essays, Volume 6 includes interviews, reflections, and documentary materials that situate Mailer within the professional, institutional, and interpersonal contexts that shaped his career. These contributions provide first-hand perspectives on Mailer’s working methods and public presence, reinforcing the volume’s central concern with the mechanisms through which literary reputation is formed, challenged, and sustained.

    By framing the issue around the question of Mailer’s continuing relevance, Volume 6 marks an important moment in the evolution of The Mailer Review. The volume exemplifies a field willing to interrogate its own premises, balancing critical rigor with historical awareness as it reassesses what it means for Norman Mailer to matter now.

  • Norris Mailer: A Life in Words
    Vol. 5 No. 1 (2011)

    Volume 5 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2011) is a special issue dedicated to the life and work of Norris Church Mailer, honoring her literary achievements and cultural presence under the theme Norris Church Mailer: A Life in Words. The volume represents a significant expansion of the journal’s critical scope, turning sustained attention toward a figure long central to Norman Mailer’s later life and work, yet too often treated as peripheral in Mailer studies.

  • Literary Warriors
    Vol. 4 No. 1 (2010)

    Volume 4 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2010), titled "Literary Warriors," brings together more than two dozen contributors to explore the rich connections between Norman Mailer and Ernest Hemingway — two writers who, a generation apart, each transformed the American literary landscape of their respective halves of the twentieth century. Both were cultural iconoclasts drawn to primal human struggles, "manly" sports, French culture, and the relentless interrogation of what it means to be human; both burst onto the scene with celebrated war novels at roughly the same age; and both forged bold new styles that pushed prose to what Sipiora calls "dizzying levels of sublimity." While Hemingway's influence on Mailer is well documented and examined here in several essays, the volume also probes subtler affinities between these two literary warriors who, remarkably, never met.

  • Beyond Fiction
    Vol. 3 No. 1 (2009)

    Volume 3 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2009), titled "Beyond Fiction," is the journal's most ambitious issue to date — a nearly seven-hundred-page double volume emphasizing Mailer's creative nonfiction and his work in film. Contributors range widely across disciplines and backgrounds, including film directors, producers, actors, journalists, scholars, and memoirists, reflecting the journal's commitment to eclecticism. Alongside sustained critical essays, the volume features personal reflection and cultural commentary, continuing The Mailer Review's mission to serve both scholarly and general audiences as the central forum for Mailer studies.

  • In Memorium
    Vol. 2 No. 1 (2008)

    Volume 2 of The Mailer Review (Fall 2008) is a landmark memorial issue published in the immediate aftermath of Norman Mailer’s death in November 2007. Centered on the Carnegie Hall celebration of Mailer’s life, the volume brings together tributes, reflections, and remarks by writers, critics, family members, and public figures including Don DeLillo, Günter Grass, William Kennedy, Tina Brown, and members of the Mailer family. Alongside this extensive commemorative section, the issue includes critical essays that reassess Mailer’s major works and political legacy, establishing The Mailer Review’s dual mission as both a scholarly forum and an enduring record of Mailer’s cultural significance.

  • Inaugural Issue
    Vol. 1 No. 1 (2007)

    Volume One (Fall 2007) of The Mailer Review inaugurates the journal as the central scholarly forum for the study of Norman Mailer’s life, work, and cultural legacy. Bringing together archival discoveries, critical essays, keynote reflections, review essays, and curated visual materials, the volume establishes the Review’s commitment to methodological range and intellectual seriousness. Highlights include Robert F. Lucid’s biographical essay on Mailer’s formative experience at Boston State Hospital, an unpublished 1942 dramatic excerpt related to The Naked and the Dead, major critical engagements with The Executioner’s Song and The Castle in the Forest, and essays drawing on the Harry Ransom Center’s Mailer archive. The volume concludes with a substantial supplemental bibliography, positioning Volume One not only as a landmark issue but as an indispensable foundation for future Mailer scholarship.