Mailer is a genius.

When I was a university sophomore, watching Mailer give a lecture at the Art Gallery Of Ontario in Toronto regarding his book on Picasso, I asked a typically sophomoric question, asking Mailer if there were any similarities between Picasso and the subject of his previous book, Lee Harvey Oswald.

The snooty artistes laughed and groaned at my silly question — but Mailer answered it, thoughtfully and clearly, and he did much to heal a wounded boy’s ego.

The secret of Mailer’s talent is that he had a voracious mind that was willing to examine the entire range of human existence. Some of it was genius, some of it was awful, but my god, look at the range of his subjects: Jesus, Hitler, Oswald, Picasso, Ali, Monroe, World War II, the C.I.A., ancient Egypt, the voyage to the moon, the war in Vietnam.

His hubris was off-the-charts, but so was his willingness to dare, to dive deep, to examine himself and the world around him.

I think it’s telling and sad we can so easily dismiss a man who truly tried to stretch the limits of his own talents and literature itself.

If you haven’t read Mailer, do so. You will be rewarded, not dismayed.