June 12, 2024

Humpday Weirdness

I got a bit of a late start today. In all honesty, I was not going to come to the Ransom Center today, since there was all-day rain in the forecast, and I had some grading to do. Yet, as I ate my breakfast, I felt guilty. So, I donned my gear and walked the two miles to campus. Today was overcast, but I think it might have been the hottest day so far—I was drenched by the time I arrived, so much so, I had to sit in my office and cool off for an hour.

The photo by Robert Frank is from a February 1961 interview with Mailer in Mademoiselle. It’s one I’ve not seen before, and I like it better that he seems to want some more bourbon. Of course he does.

I saw a lot of random stuff today, like Mailer was trying to decide what to do after publishing Advertisements. I found notes on cancer, existentialism, and other ideas that seem germane for Mailer at this time. There were also several interviews that might prove useful. I’ve gotten to the early 1960s, toward the end of Mailer’s short-story-writing period. Still, there’s more to go.