New Books Network Richard Bradford, "Tough Guy: The Life of Norman Mailer" (Bloomsbury, 2023)
Dec 29, 2025
Richard Bradford, a biographer specializing in literary figures, delves into the chaotic life of Norman Mailer, twice a Pulitzer Prize winner. He paints Mailer as a complex mixture of genius and controversy, whose life resembles the Great American Novel. They explore Mailer's self-promotional tendencies, tumultuous relationships, and the contradictory nature of his radical image alongside his privileged lifestyle. Bradford also highlights key works like The Naked and the Dead and The Armies of the Night, showcasing Mailer's lasting impact on literature.
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Life As The Great American Novel
- Norman Mailer's life reads like the 'Great American Novel' because his real biography is more astonishing than fiction.
- Richard Bradford argues Mailer's life supplies a continuous dramatic arc that outshines many of his novels.
Outsider Persona Begins At Harvard
- Mailer cultivated an outsider persona at Harvard that foreshadowed his public career as a literary showman.
- Bradford says Mailer enjoyed being difficult to categorize and used unpredictability as a craft.
Contradictory Politics And Lifestyle
- Mailer happily embodied ideological contradictions, enjoying privilege while espousing radical ideas.
- Bradford compares this to 'Mercedes Marxist' behavior where lifestyle and rhetoric conflict.