Norman Mailer- Dead

It's been a big month for literary figures, and the events continue. Norman Mailer has died, having lived a long life full of literary creations of all types. The part that I thought was interesting is how little I had read of his work, and how no one I asked about it had ever read anything of his. Ok, I've never read anything of his at all. With literary figures of his caliber, they actually become more famous than their works, much like actors. How many times have you seen a picture of a famous person, knew their name and had no idea what they've been in? The same principle seems to have been at work for Norman Mailer. This is unfortunate for him, as he sounds like a wretched person. A few of the highlights:

• He was married six times
• He stabbed one of his six wives, almost killing her
• He hated women's liberation and feminism, and once said that "all women should be locked in cages"
• He was physically abusive to his fourth wife
• He claimed that the women who didn't appreciate his misogynistic words were seeking publicity for themselves
• He fought to get a felon out of jail, who then killed someone in a restaurant
• He was married to his his fifth wife for only one day and got engaged the next day to someone else
  
• He invented the word "fug"

I read once that people spend more time reading about famous writers than they do reading the works of those writers. In the case of Norman Mailer, I've read all I need to. I think I'll pass on his works.