Mailer's Farewell

Norman Mailer, identified with New York City but buried in Provincetown, died, giving rise to all manner of praise.

But Paul Flannery at Boston Daily found the best tribute of all--the obituary Mailer wrote for himself for the magazine back in 1979. Here's a little taste: " At the memorial service, passages from his favorite literary works, all penned by himself, were read, as well as passages from prominent Americans. His old friend, Truman Capote, said, 'He was always so butch. I thought he’d outlive us all.'"

There's more where that came from. Mailer was known for being a rumbler, although late in his career he scaled down from brawling to mere bitching. His simmering rage kept him churning out the novels. As Charlie Rose wrote, "He led with his left on the literary scene for more than a half-century." When he came into town to read from his latest work, The Castle in the Forest, Bostonist compared him to Godzilla. After all, he left a large footprint.

Screengrab of Norman Mailer guesting on the "Gilmore Girls," an odd pairing indeed.