With few books ever read (but thoroughly); living in a different country and uninformed about his political views and his most egregious excesses, I read Norman Mailer long time ago, translated (probably stylistically compromised). I cannot deny his talent. If nothing else, his “The Naked and The Dead” captures the essence of interpersonal relations in a profoundly dehuminanized environment as an army is; if you have ever been a soldier in an army you know what I am talking about. His other books I read, “An American Dream”, “Why Are We in Vietnam” are a little whacky but there was raw talent there. But hey — I bet Roger Kimball would make a lot better Party member than Norman!