01.6

“‘The Wisdom of a Serious Redneck’: Norman Mailer Remembers James Jones,” edited by J. Michael Lennon. James Jones Literary Society Newsletter 10, no. 4, fall, 2–4. An edited transcription of Mailer’s remarks at a 1999 Jones Society symposium at Long Island University. In this long, fascinating talk, Mailer recounts the circumstances of his intense friendship with Jones, including his first meeting with him (see 99.4), and his feelings after reading the galleys of From Here to Eternity in 1951: “So I sat down and read this book and I want to tell you, I truly suffered. I suffered because it was too damn good. I was very happy whenever I came across somewhere I could say, ‘Oh, I could do that better.’ On the other hand, there were any number of things where I thought, ‘Oh, he knows more about that than I do.’” Mailer gave the novel a warm blurb.