An American Dream Expanded/Publishers Weekly March 22, 1965: Difference between revisions

{{notice|From {{cite news |last= |first=|date=March 15, 1965 |title=Author's League Panel: Book Reviews and Reviewers|url= |work=Publisher's Weekly |location=New York, NY|page=44-45 |access-date=|ref=harv}}Excerpt from a panel discussion at the ''Authors League of America'' held on March 9, 1965, where Mailer airs his views on reviewers and in turn, reviewers cross-examine Mailer.}}

Mailer, whose first novel in nine years, ''[[An American Dream]]'' was published by ''Dial Press'', on March 15, opened the final portion of the March 10 press conference for authors by saying, candidly, “Four years’ ago my life went out of control for a time. Once you become notorious your personality takes on a legendary quality. I am more and more surprised by what I am supposed to have done in the last two years.”

Yes, said Mr. Mailer, it was quite true that in the past he had hurled obscenities at a lecture audience—”I thought I had God’s message at the time”—but, looking back, “I regret it.” He said.

Mr. Mailer was asked to comment on the ''National Book Awards'' acceptance speech of novelist Saul Bellow in which Mr. Bellow said, among other things, that “polymorphous sexuality and vehement declarations of alienation are not going to produce great works of art.” He had only heard about the Bellow speech second hand. Mr. Mailer said, but he thought he would probably disagree with it entirely. "The moral nihilists’ wing," to which he supposed Bellow would assign him, Mr. Mailer said, would probably also include William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Terry Southern, among others, and “we are the ones who are doing something new, more creative and adventurous.” Whether or not the surface actions of moral nihilists are negative is “irrelevant,” Mr. Mailer said. What is important is that “they are concerned with the forefront of experience.”

Mr. Mailer was not loath to give his opinion of the NBA-winner, “Herzog,” as a novel or Saul Bellow as a writer, however. And what he had to say (page 30) demonstrated neatly the Mailer Dictum that “novelists left to themselves almost always welcome vicious gossip-mongers, so the only alternative is to air your differences publicly and ventilate the air.”

''An American Dream,'' Mr. Mailer said, seemed to write itself extremely naturally. “A book is prepared in one’s unconscious. The words (call them troops) start marching through your body. If you go out and get drunk one night the troops get bombed and you run into a writer’s block.  When you’re working steadily this will not happen.”  

What effect has success had on him? Mr. Mailer was asked “A big hit changes your life altogether. You become a different person.” He answered. “''[[The Naked and the Dead]]'' changed all my reflexes. Before that I had the value judgments of an infantry-man. Once you have a lot of success you spend an awful lot of time with the officers. As James Jones once said to me, “God damn it, Norman, I’m becoming an officer.”