Norman Mailer Bio

Norman Kingsley Mailer was born on January 31, 1923, in Long Branch, New Jersey. He later died on November 10, 2007. He was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker, actor, and liberal political activist.

Norman Mailer Author Bio

The Naked and the Dead, his novel was published in 1948 and brought him early and wide renown. In 1968, his nonfiction novel Armies of the Night won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction as well as the National Book Award.

His best-known work is widely considered to be The Executioner’s Song, the 1979 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In over six decades of work, Mailer had eleven best-selling books in each of the seven decades after World War II—more than any other post-war American writer.

Norman Mailer Early Life

Nachem (Norman) Malech (“King”) Mailer was born NewJersey on January 31, 1923. His father, Isaac Barnett Mailer, popularly known as “Barney”, was an accountant born in South Africa, and his mother, Fanny (née Schneider), ran a housekeeping and nursing agency. Mailer’s sister, Barbara, was born in 1927.

Norman Mailer Education

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mailer graduated from Boys High School and entered Harvard University in 1939.  At Harvard, he majored in engineering sciences but took the majority of his electives as writing courses. in 1943, After graduating. Mailer married his first wife Beatrice “Bea” Silverman in January 1944 just before being drafted into the U.S. Army. During his time in the Philippines, Mailer was first assigned to regimental headquarters as a typist, then assigned as a wire lineman.

Norman Mailer Spouse

During his life, he became as famous for his relationships with women as he did for his literary work. He was married six times and fathered eight children. Here is a look at his six wives.

1.) Beatrice “Bea” Silverman

First, Silverman was his college sweetheart and first wife. He met her during his junior year at Harvard while she was a student at Boston University. Beatrice herself served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant. The two eloped in 1943 shortly before he was drafted into the army during World War II.  The couple had one child together, Susan “Susie” Mailer. They divorced in 1952.

2.) Adele Morales

is an artist who studied under the abstract expressionist painter, Hans Hofmann. Adele and Mailer married later in 1954. Additionally, they had two daughters: Danielle “Dandy” Mailer and Elizabeth Anne “Betsy” Mailer. On November 19, 1960, in a drunken rage at the end of a wild party. Norman stabbed Morales two times with a penknife. This nearly killed her. However, she never pressed charges. Two years later the couple divorced.

3.) Lady Jeanne Campbell

Jeanne was the zealous, spirited daughter of Ian Campbell. The 11th Duke of Argyll and the granddaughter of Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, newspaper tycoon. First, Campbell had been in a five-year affair with Time-Life creator Henry R. Luce when she met Norman Mailer.

Their engagement

She became pregnant with their daughter, Kate. Mailer married her in 1962 right after the finalization of his divorce from Adele Morales. However, the marriage didn’t last long and the couple divorced in 1963 in part because Campbell discovered Mailer was having an affair with Beverly Bentley. As part of the fallout of their marriage, Mailer based the malicious character, Deborah, in his novel An American Dream on Campbell.

4.)Beverly Bentley

In 1963, the couple married. Two sons: Michael and Stephen. Beverly was an actress, and Mailer cast her in three movies: Beyond the Law (1968) and Maidstone (1970) both written and directed by Mailer, and Wild 90 (1968) produced and directed by him. The couple divorced in 1980 after a drawn-out estrangement and litigation.

5.)Carol Stevens

She was a jazz singer and Mailer’s fifth wife. They were married for just a few days. They lived together between 1969 and 1975. Additionally, they had one daughter, Maggie. When Maggie was 9years.Mailer was already in a relationship with another woman.

Carol and Mailer Fallout

Norris Church whom he planned to marry and had a 2-year-old son, John Buffalo. Mailer wanted to “legitimize” his daughter Maggie. So, Stevens and Mailer agreed to marry and then promptly divorce. Their marriage and divorce took place in October of 1980, at which time his divorce from Beverly Bentley was still being litigated. Mailer married Norris Church in November of 1980.

6.) Norris Church Mailer

The two were married for over twenty-five years until his death in 2007. Norris Church was born Barbara Jean Davis. She grew up in Atkins, Arkansas. Additionally, she was the daughter of Free Will Baptists. At age three, she won the title of Little Miss Little Rock. She met Mailer in 1975 when he came to Russellville, Arkansas to promote his biography of Marilyn Monroe.

Norris Church Name change

she changed her name to Norris Church when she began modeling with the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency. Norris was the last name of her first husband, and Mailer suggested Church since she had been a frequent church-goer while she was growing up. Mailer became the father of nine children. Norris had a son, Mathew from her first marriage.

Norman Mailer Books

Norman Mailer is known for being a great author. He has produced sentimental and some life-changing books. Most of his books are based on real-life situations. His best ten books being
1. The Executioner’s Song
2. The Armies of the Night
3. An American Dream
4. Advertisements for Myself
5. Harlot’s Ghost
6. The Naked and Dead
7. The Fight
8. Why Are We in Vietnam
9. Marilyn
10. The Time of Our Time
11. OF A FIRE ON THE MOON

His other books can be found on Thriftbooks.com

Norman Mailer Quotes

In addition to being one of the worlds best authors. Norman Mailer also had outspoken quotes. They include:

Every moment of one’s existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.

I don’t think life is absurd. Think we are all here for a huge purpose. I think we shrink from the immensity of the purpose we are here for.

Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child.

The highest prize in a world of men is the most beautiful woman available on your arm and living there in her heart loyal to you.

Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.

There was that law of life, so cruel and so just, that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same.

If a person is not talented enough to be a novelist, not smart enough to be a lawyer, and his hands are too shaky to perform operations, he becomes a journalist.

The function of socialism is to raise suffering to a higher level.

With the pride of the artist, you must blow against the walls of every power that exists the small trumpet of your defiance.

There is nothing safe about sex. There never will be.
More of his quotes can be found on BrainyQuote
Norman Mailer Net Worth

Norman Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, playwright, filmmaker, and actor. He had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death, adjusting for inflation.

Norman Mailer Death

Mailer died of acute renal failure on November 10, 2007, a month after undergoing lung surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York.