"Writing is spooky. There is no routine of an office to keep you going, only the blank page each morning, and you never know where your words are coming from, those divine words." In The Spooky Art, Norman Mailer discusses with signature candor the rewards and trials of the writing life, and recommends the tools to navigate it. Addressing the reader in a conversational tone, he draws on the best of more than fifty years of his own criticism, advice, and detailed observations about the writer's craft. Mailer explores, among other topics, the use of first person versus third person, the pressing need for discipline, the pitfalls of early success, and the dire matter of coping with bad reviews. While The Spooky Art offers a fascinating preview of what can lie in wait for the student and fledgling writer, the book also has a great deal to say to more advanced writers on the contrary demands of plot and character, the demon writer's block, and the curious ins-and-outs of publishing. Throughout, Mailer ties in examples from his own career, and reflects on the works of his fellow writers, living and dead--Twain, Melville, Faulkner, Hemingway, Updike, Didion, Bellow, Styron, Beckett, and a host of others. In The Spooky Art, Mailer captures the unique untold suffering and exhilaration of the novelist's daily life and, while plotting a clear path for other writers to follow, maintains reverence for the underlying mystery and power of the art.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
After a Strong First Half, "Spooky Art" Fizzles:
Rather than a book in its own right, "The Spooky Art" is a compilation of over 190 different interviews, essays, and unpublished thoughts on writing. Well, the first half is about writing--the second half delves into television and film before settling on criticisms of specific authors (Tolstoy, Hemingway, Lawrence). While the parts about Mailer's career are fascinating, the diversions in the Part II will test the reader's patience. Are you ready to read 15 pages devoted to Mailer's thoughts on "Last Tango... more info
A writer's writer:
Mailer has truly accomplished something valuable in the first half of The Spooky Art. He provides examples of the real world lessons and passions of a successful author. The book is essentially a collection of previous published articles that are edited and jointed together with contemporary transitions. Many passages take the reader into the writing process as Mailer describes the creation of several of his famous works. He makes palpable the level of persistence (what he calls stamina) that is needed... more info
Putting the Bitch to rest:
I applaud Mailer for his frankness--the passages on drug use and illness do shed light on the unsavory side of a writer's life. His advice is sound and direct, much like an old soldier who's been through battle and neither glamourizes nor minces words when telling his tale.
However, it is hard to believe that modern readers won't stumble over the thinly-veiled sexism that permeates practically every chapter. Yes, it is understandable that he eschews the politically correct pronoun "they" in favor of... more info
This really isn't much of a review...:
...So don't feel obligated to say if you found it helpful or not. Five years ago I read Mailer's "Barbary Shore," believing it had been a well-received "important" book of its time. For that, I wrote a snide review of it here on Amazon. Back then I was so deluded I thought only I had caught on to what a misfire that book was. Yeah. I know. Kind of lame, some kid in the Midwest taking potshots at Norm. The annoying thing is that Amazon won't remove that old review, no matter how many times I... more info
Privacy policy: we don't collect information
about visitors except for the standard technical server logs. We don't send unsolicited emails. We don't
sell the information that we don't collect about you to anyone. When you follow
links to other sites, their privacy policies apply. Thanks for visiting!
