The longer I earn my living as an editorial photographer, the more I’m reminded that the people I photograph on a daily basis are inherently far more interesting and famous than I’ll ever be. This recurring section will proudly spotlight one of the many subjects that are easily ‘more famous than me’
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer (January 31,1923–November 10, 2007) was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.
Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe, Mailer is considered an innovator of creative nonfiction, a genre sometimes called New Journalism, but which covers the essay to the nonfiction novel. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize twice and the National Book Award once. In 1955, Mailer, together with Ed Fancher and Dan Wolf, first published The Village Voice, which began as an arts- and politics-oriented weekly newspaper initially distributed in Greenwich Village. In 2005, he won the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from The National Book Foundation.
-from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norman Mailer as photographed by Diane Arbus, 1963
I was told I’d have 15 minutes with him. I figured I’d be able to finagle a little more time, seeing as we were shooting at his home, it was summertime, and it was P-town. He came out on the deck, sat down, and kept constant watch over the minutes. I made idle conversation that neither amused nor entertained him. He swore at me once, and ended our historic meeting by simply announcing,“…you’re done.” -DS
Norman Mailer as photographed by Dana Smith, 1997
I don’t think I’ve made any photograph in the last 6 years where I’m not ripping off Joel Sternfeld in one aspect or another -DS
Looking South on a May Evening, May 2005 -Joel Sternfeld
self #2, April 2008
