05.1b

“Mailer Holds Nothing Back in Speech at Weber State.” Article-interview by Brandon Griggs. Salt Lake Tribune, 1 April. Mailer, keynote speaker for the National Undergraduate Literature Conference at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, noted that this was his first time back to the state since he published The Executioner’s Song (79.14). He recalled telling a Mormon lawyer back in the 70s, “You have a tough religion.” The man responded, “Religion is supposed to be tough.” Mailer added, “I’ve never forgotten that.” Most of his remarks dealt with American identity or the Iraq War. “We have to stop acting like spoiled children, assuming we are the best nation in the world, [and] that America is God’s favorite country. We have many more questions than answers.” Mailer also mentioned that he had written 700 pages of a new novel The Castle in the Forest (07.10), but declined to reveal its subject. See 05.1c.