Product Description
Following the New Testament closely, Mailer vividly recreates the world of the Holy Land 2,000 years ago. The public world into which Jesus is thrust by his visions is governed by a complacent but fearful establishment that rules over a despairing middle class. As his sermons and miracles rock that world, the son of God emerges as a protagonist both divine and human, wracked by passion and doubt as he progresses inexorably toward his apocalyptic end. Unabridged. Available now. 4 cassettes. .Amazon.com Review
In the two millennia since Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrotetheir separate biographies of Jesus, only a handful of other authorshave attempted renditions--Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, andD. H. Lawrence have tried their hands at it; scholars E. P. Sandersand Raymond Brown have produced academic treatises on the historicalJesus. Perhaps the best-known fictional account of the life of Jesusis Nikos Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation ofChrist, which explores the Son of Man's all-too-humanside. Norman Mailer joins these ranks with The Gospel According tothe Son.

Not content to chronicle Jesus' life in the form of an apocryphalgospel, Mailer has the chutzpah to crawl inside his title character'shead and tell the story from the first-person point of view. Here weget the Prince of Peace's personal account of his temptation by Satan,his three-year ministry, and his agony on the cross. Mailer presentsan entirely new kind of passion play, one that remains faithful to theshape of Jesus' life as outlined in the gospels, while daring toimagine the inner life of this most elusive historical figure. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (70)

The human side of the Gospel story
Christian doctrine teaches that the Gospels are the story of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and Savior of the world.But none of the Gospels was written until a generation or more after Jesus was crucified, and then largely by men who weren't present to witness the events they wrote about.How would Jesus tell his story, if he were to write his own account of his life?Here is a highly sympathetic telling of that story from Jesus' point of view.While orthodox nit-pickers will almost certainly find details here to offend them, this account is generally true to the traditional Gospel stories.At its best, this novel is a powerful reminder of the humanity of Jesus.As portrayed here, Jesus was a man who struggled to understand his role and to cope with his emotions.This story also fleshes out the context of Jesus' life, providing details about the times and places he lived in, all of which helps us understand the import of his life and message.This is a powerful story, providing the reader with insights to ponder and perhaps with a greater appreciation of the Gospel story.

A Sweeping Exploration of the Past, Valuable Lessons for Today
With impeccable scholarship and poetry of prose, Norman Mailer takes a novel approach in exploring the life of Jesus; a novel from the perspective of Jesus, in his words.

The 242 pages contain some of the strongest writing by Mailer, with not a wasted word in this highly-convincing look into story-telling, traditions and the never-ending struggle with the ego contained in the self & the games of attempted manipulation by others to gain advantages in the arena of personal power.

Not only a sweeping exploration of a history that changed the world, there are urgent lessons for today that emerge from this universal story of love, life and betrayal.

what if Jesus had a chance to set the record straight?
One man has changed the world more then any other, His weapons?Love, Faith and Hope. This Jewish carpenter has had wars started in His name, religions started and divided over exactly what He said and what His intentions were. He has saved millions and given new life to countless dead souls. His love for us was so great that He gave His life for us sinners. His words and actions are, of course, recorded in the New Testament many years of His death and resurrection. In this amazing book, Norman Mailer tries to imagine the mind of Jesus, what his thoughts were as He went through his many travails, The Wedding at Cana, the rising of Lazarus, His rant at the Temple. The stories will be familiar but the point of view is from the thoughts of Jesus rather then a disciple or someone there. It is an amazing feat which I thought captures the purity of Jesus and the conflicts. I found this book to be inspirational and beautiful.

In the eyes of the perp
Every person's take on events is different. Talk to four crime witnesses and the reality probably lies within the tetrahedron described by such threedimensional triangulation. Read four gospels and do the same. But there is always another point of view. The "perp" in TV crimeshowspeak. Norman Mailer has constructed a career and a brilliant reputation on slipping into the shoes of famous perps;the present volume continues his tour de force. Why has no one previously attempted to relate the central Christian tale from the viewpoint of its central character? Dunno. In a published interview, Mailer said his nudge came while visiting his Baptist wife's very Baptist southern hometown -- where his Jewishness made him an object of curiosity, question and friendly debate. Mailer's rendering is highly readable, plainly and artfully told, and resonates with simple truths. Whatever one might believe Jesus to be/have been, there was surely a human side to the man which was largely glossed over in the official religious tracts. Mailer gives us a master carpenter whose wisdom has been honed through fourteen years of apprenticeship, whose understanding of people and politics is pithy and profound. A miracle workerunsure of his limits (rousing Lazarus was chancy -- he had been dead awhile and was decaying), and a humble messiah at pains to point out that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were given to hyperbole (though he understands they were only doing their best to "enlarge their fold"). Altogether, a surprisingly fresh and even suspenseful treatment of a story that can hardly have a surprise ending. Whatever your chosen faith, as long as God and Mammon grapple for our hearts, there is value in a new lookat the story of one who clearly dissevered that which we owe to Caesar from that which we owe to ourselves.

The Gospel according to the Son
Norman Mailer takes us on a journey with Jesus in a new and enlightening way. It drops the mask of divinity given to us by the church leaders and endears us to Jesus in all facets of his life. I find this new slant invigorating,refreshing, and more honest. It brings to life a character that I CAN believe and admire. I heartily recommend the purchase of this book by all. I bought it for me but since reading it, I will buy it for others. Get it,read it, and pass in on. (Just don't let someone take YOUR COPY). Thanks Norman for this truly insightfull look into Jesus's life!! ... Read more

Product Description
Within the pages of V Best is the best of V magazine; a publication that doesn't fit on most bookshelves, not to mention magazine racks. V's large format is not the only thing that sets it apart, however; the magazine's temperament and style place it in a privileged spot among periodicals. V was launched in September, 1999, as the younger sibling publication to the limited-edition quarterly, Visionaire. But if Visionaire is a couture book, V is ready-to-wear--visually driven, international in scope, and collaborative in spirit. V is a magazine about fashion with a capital F, and all the things that go with it: art, music, film, architecture. Before V was put into print, the founders conceptualized it as a wall of 44 televisions, each tuned to a different station. Today you would need a wall of 250 televisions, but it's still a good way to think of the insane and unpredictable mix of people, places, and things that V celebrates in its pages. Here is a place where uptown meets downtown, celebrities mingle with total unknowns, high art converses with underground culture; all reflected through spreads, photography, and design. In the five years since its launch, V has grown up a lot, and the idea of grown-up and underground seems about as oxymoronic as wearing a thrift store T-shirt with an obscenely expensive designer bag. Which is to say, not at all. Chic, wacky, fun, fabulous . . . in a letter: V. The publication of V Best marks V's fifth anniversary and while the editors like to think of every issue as an instant hit, they've taken the best-of-the-best from their archive, bringing together everything from fashion stories by contributors like Mario Testino, Inez Van Lamsweerde, Vinoodh Matadin, and Karl Lagerfeld, to talks with celebrities as diverse as Janet Jackson, Norman Mailer, Helmut Lang, Beyoncé Knowles, and David Bowie.Art, celebrities, music, designers. From the first issue, V was all over the place and into everything. But to us it was all fashion. --Stephen GanEdited by Stephen Gan and Alix Browne.

Conversationswith David Bowie,Beyoncé Knowles, Helmut Lang and Norman Mailer.

Two hardcover books in a slipcase, 11.5 x 16.25 in./300 pgs / 800 color. ... Read more

Product Description
Vanity Fair magazine, February 1992 edition with Mick Jagger on the cover and heading Jagger's Edge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fascinating book, nothing quite like it
This was one of the strangest and most engaging fictional works I have ever read. An autobiographical narrative consisting of novel excerpts, social commentary, reviews and short stories. Brutally honest and at times hilarious, I find myself regularly rereading many parts of the book and I'm always stunned by ,above all else, Mailer's humor and the vivid and unforgettable stories and characterers that he creates.

One reviewer remarked that Mailer's reputation in somewhat up in the air. Certainly Over the years Mailer has suffered much harsh criticism, from charges that he is misogynist to claims that he never fulfilled his own potential.

Nonetheless, Ancient Evenings and this book are his best works and I'm sure they will survive the test of time.

Fantastic, grotesque, extraordinary book.
Originally appearing in 1959, "Advertisements for Myself" remains one of the most unusual books ever published by a novelist. Containing stories, essays, reviews, interviews, novel excerpts and poems, all with detailed, italicized annotations courtesy of the author, this book displays a massive, raging talent assessing itself and the world around it. It is sometimes poignant, sometimes maddening, but never less than compelling. I love this book.

Today, Mailer's reputation is rather up in the air. To me, his career is an example of an artist constantly pushing himself, writing with breathtaking ambition even if it exceeded his skill. There has never been another writer like Norman Mailer, and it is touching to read here of his desire to write a novel on the level of Dostoyevsky, Mann and Tolstoy, and to read his pithy, sometimes hilarious assessments of his contemporaries. His commentary on the ups and downs of his career and his disgust and sadness about the decline of American literature are illuminating, but his self-aggrandizement and egocentricity are often difficult to stomach. However, one has to stand in awe at the monument of his talent and his passion.

Reading this book today, one has to ask, "Did he fulfill his expectations?" I think so. "Harlot's Ghost," "Ancient Evenings," "The Executioner's Song" and numerous other works, both fiction and nonfiction, will endure, in my opinion. But I, for one, would like to know whatever happened to the self-promoted masterpiece of a novel he excerpts here. The small sections make for very stimulating reading.

All in all, "Advertisements for Myself" is a required text for everyone who loves great literature or aspires to write it for themselves.

Mailer promised so much more than he ever delivered
All during the 1960s, when authors still appeared on The Tonight Show, The Dick Cavett Show, etc, the two authors who had the most exposure and mostproclaimed their "genius" were Norman Mailer and Truman Capote. Both fizzled miserably.Their dwindling fame will be filed under"Celebrity" rather than "Literature."Mailer is thebetter of the two, but he has not worn well.

Advertisements for Myself
Advertisements for Mysel

I read it ten times in the 1960s.Tenth time was best!
This book is filled with fiction, essays, and, literally, advertisements for Mailer.The ad he took out for "The Deer Park" is the classic of classics.There is a great work in here called "The Timeof Her Time."Sergius O'Shaugnessey is the hero, and I got the ideahe would appear again and again in Mailer's future fiction, but it neverhappened to my knowledge.This is a great book! ... Read more