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“God’s Foot Soldier.” Article-interview by David Aaronovitch. Independent on Sunday, 20 August, 4–5. In this 14 August interview at the International book Festival in Edinburgh, Mailer rips corporate capitalism, which he says, “just depends on money; it doesn’t depend on competition anymore.” He also criticizes the left:

“ There are elements of the left that are absolutely atrocious. The politically correct people. Remnants of Marxists, feminists, the gay theoreticians, they’re all politically correct, and they’re all a total pain in the ass, and their dangerous, totalitarian mindset. ”

Asked during a discussion of religion if he sees himself as one of God’s Soldiers, he says,

“ I certainly don’t get intimations from above. I don’t want to see myself as a God-driven man. Or a God engendered man. No I just . . . [pauses] the feeling that I have is that this creation is so extraordinary that something has been going on, maybe not for millions of years, but for the last 100,000. And we may just poison it and kill it with our technology. ”

Toward the end, he says,

“ There are two sides to me, and the side that is the observer is paramount.” He closes by speaking of his new, still-secret work: “It’s the kind of book that will excite questions. Besides it’s a tough book. Tougher than anything I’ve ever tackled. Let’s see if I can do it. It’s 50-50. ”