Robert F. Lucid, September 29, 1964: Difference between revisions

Dear Bob,<ref>Mailer's letter to Robert F. Lucid. Longtime professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, Lucid (1931-) is one of Mailer’s closest friends and his authorized biographer. They met at the University of Chicago in 1958 during Mailer’s visit there. Lucid edited the first collection of critical essays on Mailer, Norman Mailer: The Man and His Work (1971). Mailer took Lucid’s advice and added a scene between Rojack and the detective, Roberts, in the Dial version of the novel.</ref>

We’ll be in October 1. Any chance for you, Joanne, and Jackie to visit us shortly after? You know, I ended up following your advice about Roberts. There’s a short very odd little scene with him which takes place now after Cherry’s death. I believe it’s right, but it’s a very odd little scene. I’d really like you to see it. I think if you said, “Leave it in,” or “Take it out,” I would be inclined to obey. At any rate, whether I did it successfully or not—if it’s successful while I was writing it, which means it’s now impossible for me to judge it, since I’m best on things which are half-successful and so enable me to work them into shape—at any rate, realized or no, your idea was altogether right: it stayed with me all summer. So wouldn’t it be fine if I could show it to you now. Listen, what’s your phone number? Wouldn’t even know how to reach you fast if there were a good party. VaROOM!