S
ix of Mailer���s 30 books have been written
entirely in Provincetown and 18 others have
been written at least in part in Provincetown.
The town has always been Mailer���s zone of
privacy, where he is free to do his work. During
a bullfight, the bull finds a spot at the edge of
the arena where he goes to recharge his energy
before he charges again at his enemy, the matador, and Provincetown
offers this sanctuary to Mailer as he does battle with the world. I
was present at a cocktail party years ago when Mailer���s good friend,
the writer Eddie Bonetti, said with a glow on his face, ���You know,
Norman, I like you in spite of your celebrity.��� And Mailer said, ���Eddie,
how would you like it if I said I liked you in spite of your obscurity?���
NORMAN MAILER: Anytime I say something that���s not clear,
please interrupt. If you think you have a better idea than I have,
interrupt ��� although, caution there! And if you have something
that���s not necessarily going to be agreeable for me to hear, that���s
fine. I react better to criticism than to compliments.
CHRISTOPHER BUSA: You prefer tension, I know, so I���ve
learned never to say anything nice to you.
NM: If you keep telling me how good I am, frankly, I get bored.
It doesn���t do anything for me now. When I was young, it did a
lot!
HYLAND
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