The Fight

ISBN: 0812986121

Author: Mailer, Norman

Condition: New

In 1974 in Kinshasa, Zare, 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, Mailers grasp of the titanic battles feints and stratagems-and his sensitivity to their deeper symbolism-makes this book a masterpiece of the literature of sport.Praise for The FightExquisitely 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 TimesOne of the defining texts of sports journalism. Not only does Mailer recall the violent combat with a scholars eye . . . he also makes the whole act of reporting seem as exciting as whats occurring in the ring.-GQStylistically, Mailer was the greatest boxing writer of all time.-Chuck Klosterman, EsquireOne of Mailers finest books.-Louis Menand, The New YorkerPraise for Norman Mailer[Norman Mailer] loomed over American letters longer and larger than any other writer of his generation.-The New York TimesA writer of the greatest and most reckless talent.-The New YorkerMailer is indispensable, an American treasure.-The Washington PostA devastatingly alive and original creative mind.-LifeMailer is fierce, courageous, and reckless and nearly everything he writes has sections of headlong brilliance.-The New York Review of BooksThe 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 TribuneMailer is a master of his craft. His language carries you through the story like a leaf on a stream.-The Cincinnati Post