Details Regarding Books The Fight
| Title | : | The Fight |
| Author | : | Norman Mailer |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 234 pages |
| Published | : | September 30th 1997 by Vintage (first published 1975) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Sports. History. Biography |
Norman Mailer
Paperback | Pages: 234 pages Rating: 4.08 | 3645 Users | 250 Reviews
Commentary As Books The Fight
In 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaïre, two African American boxers were paid five million dollars apiece to fight each other. One was Muhammad Ali, the aging but irrepressible “professor of boxing.” The other was George Foreman, who was as taciturn as Ali was voluble. Observing them was Norman Mailer, a commentator of unparalleled energy, acumen, and audacity. Whether he is analyzing the fighters’ moves, interpreting their characters, or weighing their competing claims on the African and American souls, Mailer’s grasp of the titanic battle’s feints and stratagems—and his sensitivity to their deeper symbolism—makes this book a masterpiece of the literature of sport. Praise for The Fight “Exquisitely refined and attenuated . . . [a] sensitive portrait of an extraordinary athlete and man, and a pugilistic drama fully as exciting as the reality on which it is based.”—The New York Times “One of the defining texts of sports journalism. Not only does Mailer recall the violent combat with a scholar’s eye . . . he also makes the whole act of reporting seem as exciting as what’s occurring in the ring.”—GQ “Stylistically, Mailer was the greatest boxing writer of all time.”—Chuck Klosterman, Esquire “One of Mailer’s finest books.”—Louis Menand, The New Yorker Praise for Norman Mailer “[Norman Mailer] loomed over American letters longer and larger than any other writer of his generation.”—The New York Times “A writer of the greatest and most reckless talent.”—The New Yorker “Mailer is indispensable, an American treasure.”—The Washington Post “A devastatingly alive and original creative mind.”—Life “Mailer is fierce, courageous, and reckless and nearly everything he writes has sections of headlong brilliance.”—The New York Review of Books “The largest mind and imagination [in modern] American literature . . . Unlike just about every American writer since Henry James, Mailer has managed to grow and become richer in wisdom with each new book.”—Chicago Tribune “Mailer is a master of his craft. His language carries you through the story like a leaf on a stream.”—The Cincinnati Post
List Books Conducive To The Fight
| Original Title: | The Fight |
| ISBN: | 0375700382 (ISBN13: 9780375700385) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Regarding Books The Fight
Ratings: 4.08 From 3645 Users | 250 ReviewsNotice Regarding Books The Fight
Muhammad Ali is a genius.He is a true champion. And he unique.He is THE professor of boxing. He is a Master in human psychology.Reading anything about The Greatest is worth the time, although this one went by relatively fast.It was a great read. Mr. Mailer had an interesting way of describing events.This book is recommended for any true sport enthusiast.Mailer was one of the greatest American writers of the Twentieth centuryand also one of the most outspoken!and this, his journalistic account of the boxing match in Zaire (now the Congo) for the Heavyweight Championship of the World between an aging Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) and the fearsome George Foreman, a fight dubbed, The Rumble in the Jungle, is his best book as far as I am concerned. Mailer is bewitched by Ali and his descriptive writing is as beguiling as Alis boxing skills. He
A very entertaining account of the Ali-Foreman bout in Zaire and the days preceeding the bout. At times Mailer can be pompous and frustrating (though thats part of reading a book by Norman Mailer). But he seems to have reigned himself in with this 200 page book. I havent read a Mailer novel in ages, despite the fact that he is one of my favorite writers.Mailer is pretty digressive - the book is not about the ALI-FOREMAN fight alone. It is about Zaire, its about Mailer himself, African
3 1/2 stars. The thing about Norman Mailer, in my opinion, is that he sometimes thinks that he is to writing as what Muhammad Ali is to boxing and that he can do no wrong. By being the greatest writer of all time he makes reading a simple thing like a book about a very famous boxing match a more difficult read than it needs to be. At times this book gets confusing, like around chapter 2 or 3 where Norman starts to question his love of Black people and that maybe he might be a racist after all.
I knew I wasn't going to particularly enjoy this because I have no interest in sport but it was still a book I wanted to read.I find Muhammad Ali a fascinating 20th century icon and I wanted to see Norman Mailer's depiction of Ali through words. Without a doubt, Mailer is a talented writer but I prefer Truman Capote from the era of New Journalism. Naturally, like other non-fiction I have read by Mailer, it is very dated now.However despite not having any interest in boxing, I really appreciated
exhilarating and damn near perfect. less about the fight (though very much about the fight) than about mailer's own crazy-making demons. builds to an absolutely thrilling climax and ends quietly and beautifully with an earned sense of peace. the first mailer book i've ever read where he really just nails an ending. great book.
One of the factors that tends to dampen my enthusiasm for boxing is that the matches themselves take place so infrequently; if you enjoy watching a certain fighter, it might be months or likely even years before you can watch him fight again. This is due in part, to be sure, to the toll taken on the participants. But contrast this with a sport like Major League Baseball, which offers an embarrassment of riches- 162 games a year, one game almost every single day from April to October. Baseball, a
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