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Jack and Norman : a state-raised convict and the legacy of Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song / Jerome Loving.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2017Copyright date: ©2017Edition: First editionDescription: xiv, 240 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781250106995
  • 1250106990
Subject(s): Genre/Form:
Contents:
Gilmore in the Flesh -- Partners in Crime -- Eastern State Penitentiary -- Marion Federal Prison -- Raised in a Box -- The Prison Movement in the 1970s -- His Own Voice -- State-Raised Convict -- Gilmore in Texas -- The Executioner's Song: Circumstance, Substance, and Reception -- Utah State -- A Light at the End of the Tunnel -- No Paradiso -- In the Belly of the Beast: An Analysis and Autopsy -- Running -- The 60 Minutes Interview -- His Grandmother's Orchard -- Jack's Return.
Summary: "Norman Mailer was writing The Executioner's Song, his novel about condemned killer Gary Gilmore, when he struck up a correspondence with Jack Henry Abbott, Federal Prisoner 87098-132. Over time, Abbott convinced the famous author that he was a talented writer who deserved another chance at freedom. With letters of support from Mailer and other literary elites of the day, Abbott was released on parole in 1981. With Mailer's help, Abbott quickly became the literary "it boy" of New York City. But in a shocking turn of events, the day before a rave review of Abbott's book, In the Belly of the Beast, appeared in The New York Times, Abbott murdered a New York City waiter and fled to Mexico. Eerily, like Gary Gilmore in Mailer's true-life novel, Abbott killed within six weeks of his release from prison. Now distinguished professor Jerome Loving explores the history of two of the most infamous books of the past 50 years..."-- Provided by publisher.
Fiction notes: Click to open in new window
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Biography Mailer, N. L911 Available 33111008878734
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This is the story of an author and his apprentice. It is the story of literary influence and tragedy. It is also the story of incarceration in America.

Norman Mailer was writing The Executioner's Song, his novel about condemned killer Gary Gilmore, when he struck up a correspondence with Jack Henry Abbott, Federal Prisoner 87098-132. Over time, Abbott convinced the famous author that he was a talented writer who deserved another chance at freedom. With letters of support from Mailer and other literary elites of the day, Abbott was released on parole in 1981.

With Mailer's help, Abbott quickly became the literary "it boy" of New York City. But in a shocking turn of events, the day before a rave review of Abbott's book, In the Belly of the Beast, appeared in The New York Times, Abbott murdered a New York City waiter and fled to Mexico. Eerily, like Gary Gilmore in Mailer's true-life novel, Abbott killed within six weeks of his release from prison.

Now Jerome Loving explores the history of two of the most infamous books of the past 50 years, a fascinating story that has never before been told.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Gilmore in the Flesh -- Partners in Crime -- Eastern State Penitentiary -- Marion Federal Prison -- Raised in a Box -- The Prison Movement in the 1970s -- His Own Voice -- State-Raised Convict -- Gilmore in Texas -- The Executioner's Song: Circumstance, Substance, and Reception -- Utah State -- A Light at the End of the Tunnel -- No Paradiso -- In the Belly of the Beast: An Analysis and Autopsy -- Running -- The 60 Minutes Interview -- His Grandmother's Orchard -- Jack's Return.

"Norman Mailer was writing The Executioner's Song, his novel about condemned killer Gary Gilmore, when he struck up a correspondence with Jack Henry Abbott, Federal Prisoner 87098-132. Over time, Abbott convinced the famous author that he was a talented writer who deserved another chance at freedom. With letters of support from Mailer and other literary elites of the day, Abbott was released on parole in 1981. With Mailer's help, Abbott quickly became the literary "it boy" of New York City. But in a shocking turn of events, the day before a rave review of Abbott's book, In the Belly of the Beast, appeared in The New York Times, Abbott murdered a New York City waiter and fled to Mexico. Eerily, like Gary Gilmore in Mailer's true-life novel, Abbott killed within six weeks of his release from prison. Now distinguished professor Jerome Loving explores the history of two of the most infamous books of the past 50 years..."-- Provided by publisher.

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