Norman Mailer

In a New York Review of Books essay, Mailer sought to explain the cultural drivers of the invasion of Iraq and advanced, in particular, the idea that after 9/11 the war may have served to restore a sense of power and white masculinity in the United States. The deliberately provocative thesis renewed criticism of his longstanding preoccupation with virility and race.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

After corresponding with prisoner Jack Henry Abbott, Mailer helped publish In the Belly of the Beast and supported efforts to secure his release; he played an important role in Abbott's transfer to a halfway house. A few weeks after his release, Abbott killed waiter Richard Adan and was subsequently convicted of first-degree manslaughter, triggering a major controversy over the judgment of Mailer and the literary establishment.

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

The quarrel between Mailer and Vidal again became physical at a reception in 1977. Biographical accounts report that Mailer threw a glass or its contents at Vidal before striking him, continuing a public feud that began in the early 1970s.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In Marilyn, Mailer repeated or developed sensational hypotheses about Marilyn Monroe's relationships with the Kennedys and possible involvement of US agencies in her death. An FBI memorandum reported that Mailer acknowledged having no evidence of FBI or CIA involvement and relying instead on his “writer's instinct” and speculation, with an acknowledged commercial interest.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Mailer published The Prisoner of Sex in response to feminist criticism of his work and public persona. The text was widely perceived as hostile to feminism. During the Town Hall debate with Germaine Greer, Jacqueline Ceballos, Diana Trilling and Jill Johnston, the exchange became spectacular and confrontational, cementing Mailer's image as an opponent of the women's liberation movement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Angered by a Gore Vidal essay comparing his view of women to Charles Manson's, Mailer confronted Vidal before a Dick Cavett programme and headbutted him, according to consistent accounts. The altercation continued on air through an exchange of insults involving Vidal and Cavett.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Mailer ran in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York alongside Jimmy Breslin. He proposed, among other things, making the city the 51st state and advanced numerous iconoclastic proposals. At a Village Gate meeting, he drank whisky, insulted members of the audience and launched into a profanity-laden tirade, to the embarrassment of some supporters.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

During the large protest against the Vietnam War at the Pentagon, Mailer crossed a line held by marshals, refused to leave the restricted area and was arrested. He entered a plea of nolo contendere, was found guilty of disorderly conduct and received a 50-dollar fine and a 30-day sentence, 25 days of which were suspended.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

nolo_contendere; found_guilty; $50_fine_and_30_days_with_25_suspended

Attribution

Accused

After a party involving alcohol at their New York apartment, Mailer stabbed his wife Adele Morales with a penknife near the heart and in the back/abdomen, leaving her critically injured. He was charged with aggravated assault; Morales declined to pursue the more serious charge, and Mailer ultimately pleaded guilty to third-degree assault, receiving a suspended sentence/probation.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted