Topic: Norman Mailer

Country Girl

Trailblazing Irish novelist Edna O'Brien delivers the memoir she once believed she'd never write.

Chapter & Verse What books to assign to a group of inmate-students?

Dickens or Denisovich? Mailer or Malamud? This professor agonized over the reading list for a class of prison inmates.

Chapter & Verse Why is Paulo Coelho slamming James Joyce?

Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho says of Joyce's book 'Ulysses,' 'There is nothing there.'

Gore Vidal: a celebrity, a life writ large

Gore Vidal was known as much for his fierce public spats as he was for collected works that included 25 novels, 200 essays, six plays, several screenplays, and a National Book Award for essays on the United States.

Chapter & Verse Gore Vidal remembered: a larger-than-life literary presence (+video)

Gore Vidal, who died yesterday at the age of 86, was a legendary writer and contrarian commentator.

Culture Cafe Documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles discusses his film 'Salesman'

The filmmaker says humanizing the experience of people in a documentary is essential.

Pulitzer Prize: How well do you know the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners?

How well do you know past Pulitzer Prize winners for fiction?

Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark

Pauline Kael became the voice for a new generation of film-goers.

Mark Twain quotes: 10 favorites on his birthday

William Faulkner called him “…the first truly American writer.” Ernest Hemingway declared that all American writing comes from “Huckleberry Finn,” and “there has been nothing as good since." And Norman Mailer said “Huck Finn” stands up “page for page” to the “best modern American novels.” Wednesday marks the 176th anniversary of the birth of the matchless Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain. His genius lay in his distinctive ability to convey profound wisdom and profane wit in the same breath. Here, in tribute to the man Faulkner called the “father of American literature,” are 10 quotes from Mark Twain.

A Voice in the Box: My Life in Radio

In an unusually candid and insightful memoir, popular radio host Bob Edwards explores his own career.

Literary Brooklyn: The Writers of Brooklyn and the Story of American City Life

From Walt Whitman to Jonathan Safran Foer, Brooklyn holds a unique place in America’s literary history.

George Pelecanos talks about "The Cut"

George Pelecanos's 17th and latest novel, "The Cut," chronicles the seamy side of Washington, D.C.

The Missing of the Somme

British novelist and journalist Geoff Dyer struggles to find something new to say about World War I.

Provincetown art colony: Where light, water, and art meet

Provincetown, Massachusetts continues its seasonal tradition of vibrant colors and characters.

Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & 'To Kill a Mockingbird': movie review

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author Harper Lee remains elusive in this new documentary that delves into her silence.

The top 10 books of all time

Readers of books love lists. That's why book-review editor J. Peder Zane asked 125 writers – everyone from Norman Mailer to Jonathan Franzen to Margaret Drabble – to pick their very favorite books of all time. Out of all the books in the world, here are the 10 most selected by Zane's illustrious group. (You can see this and other book lists in Zane's book "The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books.")

Top book picks for 2010

The experts tell us what they are excited about reading in 2010.

Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon

Forty years later, another look at man’s first walk on the moon.

Prices on Mailer's moon book are out of this world

Thanks for reading me – and occasionally laughing

I’m turning off the keyboard on my humor dispatches. Remember, I was only trying to summon a wry smile.

Review: 'Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson'

Documentary about a journalist's drug-fueled exploits and equally wild prose tends toward the worshipful and neglects sadder aspects of his life.

'Write as short as you can'

A collection of six-word mini-memoirs.