Chapter 30 - Literary Activism

Summary

Though Mailer published incisive and unapologetic criticism of the works of his contemporaries, he was also generous with his support of writers and his advocacy for literary freedom. He readily came to the defense of literature that was deemed obscene or controversial, and under threat of official ban, from William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch to Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses. His literary activism took consistent aim at publishing houses, which too often relied on money and marketing strategies to determine their publication choices. By protesting the promotion of already-wealthy writers and bringing little-known writers into the spotlight, Mailer not only proclaimed the force of his own work in post-war America but also defended a larger vision of literary freedom that endures today.