Norman Mailer vs. the Big Empty

In “Norman Mailer vs. the Big Empty,” published in Tablet Magazine, Society member David Mikics examines Mailer’s enduring critique of American society’s corporate and conformist tendencies. Mikics highlights Mailer’s 1962 debate with William F. Buckley Jr., where Mailer proposed an unconventional strategy to end the Cold War by allowing the Soviet Union to overextend itself. This approach underscores Mailer’s belief that America’s true adversary was not external but internal—the pervasive influence of the “military-industrial complex” and the resulting societal stagnation he termed “the big empty.” Mikics also discusses the recent publication challenges faced by Mailer’s works, suggesting that contemporary “woke” corporate publishers may find Mailer’s provocative ideas too contentious, thereby reaffirming his relevance in today’s discourse.