What we have lost is more than an author, it is not even a "spirit." Gore Vidal is right - it is a FORCE. A constant iconoclastic pressure, an unrelenting challenge to our lives.

As we constantly sink into comfort and complacency, it was Norman Mailer who would grab us by our collar and shake us into waking.

Of all the times, right now we need Norman Mailer more than ever. As the country seems poised to let the inertia for genuine change dissipate into politics as usual, who will shame us for getting comfortable at the expense of the mute suffering that is the byproduct of our current society?

Maybe you could, ouyangwulong. So far so good. Although "shame," has never been a good motivator for social change: Self-interest is the prime mover.

Perhaps you could personify you ideas into characters. Add a little sex. Make sure everyone has guns and takes drugs. Be sure there's some specific conflict to overcome: one after the other, and presto! The Novel is Born!

Humm...not a bad idea. Maybe I should try it myself. But if you're expecting James Bond or John Wayne of John Q. Public or Jane Doe to be motivated by 'shame,' then don't hold your breath.

Shame just makes you want to hide. The first motivation I noticed in Normal Mailer was wanting to win at a game of cards. Then, of course, there were the wives and knife fights...

Actually, I'm one step ahead of you. You can find the first few chapters in various drafts at my website.

But you have a point with shame, it isn't a good motivator, and I think that's why Norman Mailer didn't change America. But what I feel from Norman Mailer's persona is indignant rage at the fact that we felt no shame.

Although it may be decadent gadfly-ism, it still was a wonderful "force," like a cold wind screeching outside the window.

He seemed to have both relentless disdain and love for America at the same time. Anger, passion, and ego, I'd say this combined to make Norman Mailer an inimitable part of 20th century America