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Monday, March 02, 2009

I'll Miss Norman Mailer

By Nui Kahuna

When I woke up Saturday morning and opened up the computer the first thing I saw was that Norman Mailer had died at 84. I closed the computer, and didn't open it again until the next day. Norman Mailer was a hero of mine, and a lot of my heroes are starting to leave.

I admit that there are many issues that the both of us didn't agree on, but it doesn't matter anymore. He was one of those very few people, who would fearlessly write on what they believed in.

I spent part of Saturday trying to remember when I first heard the name, and when I read my first Mailer book. The book was "The Naked and theDead," written in 1948. I'm fairly certain I read it in 1969, when I was 16 or so.

From then on, I read almost everything he wrote, and if he was going to be on TV, I always watched. He never failed to be interesting, and to have an idea, something most people who write and are ontelevision never have.

It was on Charlie Rose when I last saw him. There was also another show wherein he appeared, but then, I couldn't remember what was it called. As for Norman Mailer by that time, he had hard hearing, but was amazingly full of high spirits. It's rather disappointing that the shows didn't spare him too much time to appear on air.

I am one of the people who disapproved of his politics, but I learned to forgive him eventually. The liberals were just too different compared to Norman Mailer. He stood firm for his beliefs.

At times Mailer was savaged by the New York literary establishment and by critics. He didn't care two hoots in hell what they thought, and just kept writing and speaking.

I enjoyed Norman Mailer's last masterpiece entitled The Castle in the Forest, it was even rumoured that he was planning to work on a trilogy on Hitler.

When I heard that on Charlie Rose I was excited.

The very day he died it was when I felt a heavy disappointment. There would be no trilogy, another hero long gone.

But on Sunday I felt better. Norman Mailer would have defended your right to protect yourself. He knew where all the weasels in his chosen party were. I doubt he had any respect for them, because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had no courage at all, that they were, and are paper tigers.

He knew about this because he could always place himself on the line all the time.

Norman Mailer was a real man, and a brave one, too.

I think I could imagine how heaven is doing right now, with Norman Mailer around.

Somebody has to keep God on his toes, and I think Norman is up to the job.

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