Mornings with Mailer: A Recollection of Friendship

By Dwayne Raymond

Book Overview

"Mornings with Mailer is a tender and affectionate view of the protean author at the end of the Big Novel that was his life. Dwayne Raymond's book offers a uniquely intimate perspective on one of our literary giants. Applause." -- Tom Piazza, author of City of Refuge

"In this moving memoir, Dwayne Raymond provides an intimate look at the daily routine of a great writer in the last years of his life." -- Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Team of Rivals

Mornings with Mailer is the revealing memoir by Dwayne Raymond, the man who worked as Norman Mailer's personal assistant during the last five years of the iconic author's life. Recasting the legendary writer of such classics as The Naked and the Dead and The Executioner's Song in a new light, Mornings with Mailer describes the powerful bond that formed between him and Raymond from April 2003 until Mailer's death in November 2007.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061733598
• ISBN13: 9780061733598
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Can't put it down

I knew little of either author when this book was brought to my attention. Of course I had heard of Mailer but my knowledge of him hadn't gone much further than he was a writer. So it came as a bit of a surprise to me how quickly I was totally commited to the reading of this book. Its neither a biography nor a fluff piece filled with puffery about Mailer. Really, it's a snapshot of an all too brief time spent between two men who came to respect and love each other. Raymond doesn't spend much time gushing about Mailer, rather he tells the story almost with the eye of a journalist. Any sentementality comes not from the choice of profound words but from the tale itself. Raymond easily could have cluttered this clean book with too many tributes to the greatness of Mailer the author. Instead, he tells the day to day struggles and accomplishments of a working writer and his assistant. The day to day that makes us human. For two days I was glued to the sofa enjoying every page of this book and I will read it again soon. Anybody who has had the good fortune to have an elderly friend in their lives will love this book. As for me, I feel the best compliment I can pay to Raymond and this wonderful book is that I couldn't put it down.

Best book I've read in a long time

I've never read Norman Mailer, but I picked up this book because I enjoy reading about writers and their process and I love Provincetown. The book is a beautifully rendered love letter to both Mailer and Ptown. After finishing it I find that I am suffering from a sort of post-read depression because I was completely caught up in it, couldn't wait to get home to read it and now I am struggling to find another book that nurtures me as this one did. It's an intimate account on creating, writing, cooking, friendship, old age and loss. It doesn't matter what you think of Norman Mailer because by the end you will find yourself loving this brilliant eccentric old guy. I look forward to reading anything Dwayne Raymond writes in the future. He's a keeper!

Poignant story. Well written

The story is touching and honest. The depiction of Provincetown is spot on without being trite. Having grown up on Cape Cod I often see stories set on the sandbar that play too much into the quintessential view of the iconic summer playground and as a result lose the essence of the experience of really being there. This was not the case in Mornings With Mailer. I was most impressed by the way Raymond crafted the story of a young man who lost his father in his early childhood befriending an elderly man in his final years. The raw truth on Raymonds part of woe that preceded the friendship, the drinking and "lost years" provided a backdrop to the fertile ground on which the friendship grew. Following Raymonds process of healing in which he and Mailer developed a companionship that at once filled the father void and gave focus to Raymond after an extended period of searching, provided an interesting view of what it is to be male in a culture that too often sees our boys growing up without a strong male role model in their life. Adding to this poignant tale the fact that the octogenarian is the iconic Pulitzer Prize winning Norman Mailer. The book allows those of us who knew the legend to sneak a peek into the reality that was Norman Mailer. A pleasurable read. I would highly recommend it!

A marvelous insight into Mailer, the man.

This is a wonderful book well worth your attention! I've enjoyed Norman Mailer's literary work for many years... however, as with many authors - one never really gets any personal insight into the writer themselves... only the works they create. With "Mornings with Mailer", author Dwayne Raymond pulls back a wonderfully intimate veil into the personal life of the literary legend, Norman Mailer... and reveals a fascinating portrait of the man via Raymond's own working relationship with Mailer. The book gives depth and nuance to Mailer's life that makes fans of his literary works understand him much more deeply... and in turn, they gain a better appreciation for Mailer's own work. The anecdotes revealed in this book are fascinating, entertaining and poignant. "Mornings with Mailer" is a fascinating memoir and the debut of a new wonderful writer in Dwayne Raymond... who by extension, honed his writing talent via his friendship with Mailer to create this wonderful work.

This is One to Savor

I dove into this book, intending to inhale it in one sitting. Ha. Three pages in, I knew it deserved more than that...I'm about half way through, taking my time and savoring every bit. It is intimately personal without resorting to flowery overstatements or drama. What a treat to learn of the real man that was Norman Mailer - the gossip in me relishes that. Somewhat to my surprise though, I am more caught up in the story Raymond has managed to tell - of the genuine human curiosity, regard and affection between him, Mailer, Mailer's inner circle and Provincetown (itself an important character here) in a way that honors all involved.