 [Larger view] | The Spooky Art : Some Thoughts on Writing
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 The Egotistical Master | |
| Mailer tells us a lot we don't want to know about. It's the gloomy long tale of an egocentric writer's acceptance of the ups and downs of his metier. He gives his biased opinions on things he knows and things he doesn't know about. All the negative aspects of his persona are laid out. Still, it must have taken some bravery to lay out some of them. Or else he needed the money. Truth sells, even if it is a very mediocre unfocused book, and quite un-useful. It should have been titled "Me and My Books, Some thoughts on me and my writing". | |
| The Spooky Art of Intellectual Onanism | |
| Gimme a break. Mailer should stop tooting his own horn and write some fiction that isn't so imbued with egotistical dross. Nobody cares about Mailer's craft, and why should we when he's written longwinded stinkers like Naked and the Dead or Harlot's Ghost. The man needs to check himself before he wrecks himself. That ego does nothing for his writing, no matter how many awards he's won. He should stick to what he knows like being a verbose senile buffoon and stabbing his wife. | |
 Nuggets Of Wisdom From A Master Of The Art | |
| Like most of Mailer's non-fiction, this book is as much about him as it is about his ostensible subject...which is not a bad thing if you enjoy Mailer, as I do. Published on his 80th birthday, this work does contain some new material, but for the most part it's a collection of Mailer's thoughts on the subject over several decades...sources include his earlier books, speeches, prefaces to others' books and interview transcripts. The result is somewhat of a grab-bag approach, but it's clear Mailer worked to achieve some thematic unity in weaving the pieces together. In his introduction, Mailer cautions that this is not meant to be a how-to guide for the beginner; rather, his target is the more experienced writer who is seeking avenues to advance to a higher level. But, as he also suggests, it's worthwhile reading for anyone looking for insights into the creative process. He goes slightly far afield at times, with digressions on journalism and films, among others, but suggests fairly that these are secondary or alternate avenues often pursued by those wedded to the literary art. I hope I've been able to do justice to "The Spooky Art." In these pages, Mailer calls reviewing a "primitive art" so I'm not sure that I have...but I've given it my best. And I think that's all the old fighter could ultimately ask for. |
