Noor Din, June 14, 1974

NORMAN MAILER’s Letters

June 24, 1974

Dear Mr. Noor Din,

Your letter was certainly most interesting and I can tell you that your friend’s thesis is partially correct. Years ago I did not smoke hashish but marijuana, perhaps so much as 20 years I was truly enamoured of that mild drug and used to smoke it three or four times a week. I had many mental, spiritual and intellectual experiences upon it. I think it would he fair to say that it changed the style of my mind. In one year I went through the metamorphosis from socialist to existentialist. Since then I have used it sparingly and the bulk of my writing in these last two decades has been done far from its influence, for I found I might have something close to visions when I took it but was unable to write a word afterward, indeed, lost much valuable material through the intoxication. So let us say your friend is half correct. It had influence on me, but is not with me at present.

Please convey my good wishes to him and my personal ones to you for your interesting letter.

Sincerely,

Norman Mailer