The Naked and the Dead

by Norman Mailer

Hailed as one of the finest novels to come out of the Second World War, The Naked and the Dead received unprecedented critical acclaim upon its publication and has since become part of the American canon. This fiftieth anniversary edition features a new introduction created especially for the occasion by Norman Mailer.

Written in gritty, journalistic detail, the story follows an army platoon of foot soldiers who are fighting for the possession of the Japanese-held island of Anopopei. Composed in 1948, The Naked and the Dead is representative of the best in twentieth-century American writing.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, War, Historical Fiction, Literature, Novels, World War II

721 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.

Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe, Mailer is considered an innovator of creative nonfiction, a genre sometimes called New Journalism, but which covers the essay to the nonfiction novel. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize twice and the National Book Award once. In 1955, Mailer, together with Ed Fancher and Dan Wolf, first published The Village Voice, which began as an arts- and politics-oriented weekly newspaper initially distributed in Greenwich Village. In 2005, he won the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from The National Book Foundation.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Naked and the Dead is Norman Mailer’s best novel and it is the best American book about war.

The General had once said to him, ‘I like chaos, it's like the reagents foaming in the beaker before the precipitation of the crystals. It's a kind of savory to me.’

To generals war is a theatre and a battlefield is a stage so they can admire the scenes of bloodbath from afar.
The Naked and the Dead is a merciless and extremely graphic novel but what the hell, war knows no shame and no pity.
Now that the truth in literature has been replaced with political correctness truthful books are rarely read.

All the deep dark urges of man, the sacrifices on the hilltop, and the churning lusts of the night and sleep, weren't all of them contained in the shattering screaming burst of a shell, the man-made thunder and light? He did not think these things coherently, but traces of them, their emotional equivalents, pictures and sensations, moved him into a state of acute sensitivity. He felt cleaned in an acid bath, and all of him, even his fingertips, was prepared to grasp the knowledge behind all this.

War bares all human fears and shows human beings as they are. War turns man naked then it turns man dead…

[Paul Bryant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Us readers have no homes, like unnoticed birds we perch anywhere, like the most disturbed stalkers we go through anybody’s underwear drawer, like vicious tax-gatherers we audit everyone, the writers especially, their creatures the characters very particularly, and hanging between all three of us, the book. It sits there in its cover. We ticket, we note, we award, with our eyes, brains and stars. We scribble in the margins to the outrage of future readers – well, I do, maybe you do not do that. (I never mind if someone has previously done that.)

So I have looked out of Humbert Humbert’s paedophiliac eyes, I overheard the good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ, I declined and fell with Paul Pennyfeather and I closely observed Molly Bloom in her bed for at least three hours, she didn’t notice a thing. It was like I wasn’t there. With Jeanette Winterson I too grew up in a crazy Christian cult, and like others before me I could not stop Merricat Blackwood from her pyromania whatever I did. Well, you could all say similar things. Our acceptance of the thousand varieties of human beingness is almost limitless. We are promiscuity itself.

The Naked and the Dead is not really about World War Two, or about war in general, it’s about looking through the eyes of men, a whole bunch of them, sleeping with them, eating with them, drinking, pissing and fighting with them. In this novel, the thing to have is a penis. The testosterone floweth through this novel as doth the Ganges through India. And… I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to go through all this painful stuff with a bunch of assorted blokes constantly eating, farting, sleeping, waking, yakking, being blown up or not, writing letters, bragging, playing poker, theorising banally about women and on. And on.

Because there are a thousand characters, Mailer provides each with a description round the time they are introduced. Such as:

He was a little over medium height, well fleshed, with a rather handsome sun-tanned face and graying hair. His expression when he smiled was very close to the ruddy, complacent and hard appearance of any number of American senators and businessmen, but the tough good-guy aura never quite remained. There was a certain vacancy in his face, like the vacancy of actors who play American congressmen.

Well, after several descriptions like this everything blurs together and you realise why Catch-22 works so well because in that war novel everyone is a cartoon, no painful attempt at ultra-realistic detail at all, so Milo Minderbinder, Major Major, Colonel Korn and the rest remain intact in the memory years later.

But really, me trying to read N&D was doomed to failure. It could have been a good one, I guess, you never know until you try, heck I’ve liked some funny things in my time. But the signs were not good :

1) I am ferociously biased against novels written by 24 year olds and any novels written by anyone under 30. (Writing novels is like the opposite of pop music). Evelyn Waugh has squeaked by (Decline and Fall) and I guess you have to give Mary Shelley the nod too, then there’s Dickens of course….ok, ok, MOSTLY I don’t think people under 30 can write a good novel. Norman Mailer is no Mary Shelley, and he would have been the first to admit that.

2) I hate war stories – Hamburger Hill, Platoon, From Here to Eternity, I avoid them all. I did watch Apocalypse Now and Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line and like, that’s enough.

3) I thought I should read this because I was reading Norman Mailer’s biography which is VERY ENTERTAINING but I just always wanted to be finding out what happened to NORMAN next not the boys in the jungles of Anopopei.

I can tell this is really a heck of an accomplishment, he commands his material fearlessly, there’s no holding back, he’s a right know-it-all, and somebody needed to do a big honest novel about men in WW2 which could be set beside the big thumpers from WW1 (there won’t be any great novels coming out of WW3).

So, for me this was a 2 star experience from a 4 star novel, abandoned a little shamefacedly but with relief.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Nobody could sleep. When morning came, assault craft would be lowered and a first wave of troops would ride through the surf and charge ashore on the beach at Anopopei. All over the ship, all through the convoy, there was a knowledge that in a few hours some of them were going to be dead…”
- Norman Mailer, The Naked and the Dead

Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead is War and Peace as written by Larry David. It has all the Tolstoyean hallmarks: dozens of main characters; an ever-shifting third-person point of view; lengthy, turgid digressions on History, Philosophy; and an ending that fizzles rather than explodes.

It also has a thoroughly misanthropic point of view, resembling nothing so much as an episode of Seinfeld set during the Pacific War. The characters are all hateful, spiteful, little men. None of them are likable. Nothing really happens. There is no great set piece battle, which you might expect when reading a war novel (the war novel, according to the cover). And the ending devolves quickly from black comedy to farce, with the hateful, spiteful, little characters left utterly unredeemed. Mailer's ultimate disgust for his creations is utterly brimming on the last few pages.

The Naked and the Dead takes place on the fictional island of Anopopei. The main characters are the men of an Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) platoon: Lieutenant Hearn, Sgt. Croft, Sgt. Brown, and your typical ethnic and cultural grab bag of enlisted men: Goldstein and Roth (the Jews); Martinez (the Mexican); Wilson (the redneck).

At the beginning of the novel, I was actually impressed with the depth of these characters. Though some (most?) of them are archetypes of the genre, Mailer gets really deep into their psyche. You literally are privy to all their thoughts (which are often petty, self-absorbed, and relatable). Then, after a while, I realized that all the characters were having these same thoughts. And all of them exhibited the same disgust for their fellow man, while outwardly attempting to conform to the expectations of society. Pretty soon, the characters started to meld into one, and all I knew was that they were all pretty much assholes. I had to recall the one thing that set each guy apart: Red had bad kidneys; Gallagher had the pregnant wife; Stanley was a brown-noser.

(A note on likability in fiction: I don’t think a character has to be – or should be – flawless and angelic. To the contrary, plenty of authors have developed irresistible villains and antiheroes. What I need, at a certain point, is some indication that I should care what happens to the people I’m following. This is especially true in a big fat war novel, where I’m being asked to accompany a platoon into danger).

Only three men stood out: General Cummings, because he was a general; Lt. Hearn, who was Cummings's foil, and engages in a series of Important Discussions™ with the general; and Sgt. Croft, the psychopath. Of the three, only Croft is really memorable. He is as unlikable as the rest; even more so. Yet his awfulness at least elevates him to an over-the-top antagonist. (Croft was ably embodied by Aldo Ray in the film version). For instance, in one unforgettable scene, Croft gives a Japanese prisoner a cigarette, then blows him away:

Croft felt his head pulsing with an intense excitement. There were tears in the prisoner's eyes again, and Croft looked at them dispassionately. He gazed once about the little draw, and watched a fly crawl over the mouth of one of the corpses. The prisoner had taken a deep puff and was leaning back now against the trunk of the tree. His eyes had closed, and for the first time there was a dreamy expression on his face. Croft felt a bitter tension work itself into his throat and leave his mouth dry and bitter and demanding. His mind had been entirely empty until now, but abruptly he brought up his rifle and pointed it at the prisoner's head...The prisoner did not have time to change his expression before the shot crashed into his skull. He slumped forward, and then rolled on his side. He was still smiling but looked silly now.

I suppose that the reality of military service - as in life itself - is that there are moments of boredom, moments when there isn't a lot going on, or you're just waiting for something to happen. It's tough to make this work in a novel, though Herman Wouk proved you can do it, in The Caine Mutiny. Still, when you read fiction, it's typically for reasons other than a strictly faithful recreation of reality. You want something to happen. In a war novel, that generally means a position to storm, or a hill to defend, or some other clash of arms.

Mailer, being Mailer, decides to ignore this imperative. For the first 400 pages or so, the book just meanders forward, with the men of I&R sitting around, grousing to each other, and generally being insufferable. There is a brief skirmish at the river, which is really sort of distracting, owing to Mailer's gross over use of onomatopoeia. For several pages, my copy of The Naked and the Dead looked like an old Batman cartoon. POW! BANG! ZOOP!

Finally, the I&R platoon is given a scouting mission. They are sent around to the back of the island and told to gather intelligence on the Japanese. They run into trouble. One man is killed and another wounded. The squad splits, half the men taking the wounded man back, the other half plunging forward. Suddenly, there is conflict, there is forward progress...and then?

Well, details behind the tag: Inexplicably, the farce begins. After hundreds of pages of struggle and toil, the platoon is sent running after it stumbles into a bee hive. Later, the finale focuses on Major Dalleson's attempt to get a Betty Grable pinup for a map-reading course. I acknowledge that some may find this amusing as satire. Not me. It felt like Mailer was having a laugh at my expense.

Whether or not you viewed the spoiler, suffice to say the ending was an irritant, especially as it comes after hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of pages that seem to promise bigger things.

You will not be surprised, if you've ever spent time with Norma Mailer, to find that this abounds in literary affectations, notably "The Time Machine" and the "Chorus." The Time Machine is a flashback device. Some of them were okay, especially Croft's. Most of them, however, do little to illuminate the characters. Moreover, they are often painfully hard to read, since they are written in the idiom of the stunted character at the center of the flashback. The Chorus sections are just plain showing off. They are presented as a play, dialogue only, and touch on a certain topic chosen by Mailer, such as what the soldiers are going to do when they get home.

(Aside on language: The Naked and the Dead infamously uses fug for the more colorful, the more elegant, the more realistic f**k. Apparently, this was self-imposed censorship, suggested by the publishers. This is a distracting bit of sanitation that certainly depresses the verisimilitude. It is also a bit offensive, considering that we'd just finished incinerating 100,000 Japanese men, women, and children in Tokyo, then topped that by shadow-blasting 100,000 more with nuclear weapons. Despite ushering in the Atomic Age, and bringing peace through fire, America – at least in the view of Holt, Rinehart, and Winston – thought we had some innocence to protect).

This was my first Mailer. Returning to this after having read several other of his books, I think I probably appreciate this a bit more, even if only in my memory. The thing about Mailer is that he was gifted with a towering talent, without a corresponding drop of humility. He could not help but flaunt his skills, to be too clever by half. He’s the guy who can write a thousand pages about a witless thug like Gary Gilmore (in The Executioner’s Song) and convince you – if only momentarily – that the man is a folk hero.

There are some beautiful passages in The Naked and the Dead, and some wonderfully memorably scenes. There are two deaths, for instance, that really stuck in my mind. There were also a dozen moments that insisted upon themselves, almost screaming Look at me! I’m literature! Up top, I mentioned how this was a war novel about nothing. Really, though, like everything that Mailer wrote, it was sort of about him.

[Maziyar Yf · Rating 5 out of 5]

نورمن میلر در کتاب برهنه ها و مرده ها با تکیه بر سوابق خویش به عنوان یک سرباز پیاده ��ر نبرد فیلیپین ، کتابی نوشته مهم ، ملموس ، تاثیر گذار و البته ضد جنگ .
کتاب میلر به نبردی بر سر یکی از بی شمار جزایر اقیانوس آرام به نام آنوپوپی پرداخته ، جزیره ای با آب و هوای شرجی و خفه کننده استوایی ، با رشته کوهی در میان آن و قله آناکا .
همانند فیلم نجات سرباز رایان کتاب با پیاده شدن سربازان در ساحل جزیره شروع می شود ، در ادامه داستان با شخصیتهای اصلی داستان ، سربازان گروه تجسس ، گروهبان کرافت ، تیمسار کامینگز آشنا می شویم .
نورمن میلر از سربازان صفر شروع می کند ، از گفتگوهای آنان در زمان خواب ، استراحت ، جنگ و پیشروی خواننده به روحیه آنان پی می برد ، به همین گونه نویسنده با فلش بک های متوالی گذشته و زندگی آنان را شرح داده ، بیشتر آنان کشاورز ، کارگر ، ظرف شور یا بی کار و از طبقات فرو دست جامعه آمریکا و از ایالت های مختلف هستند ،زندگی برای برخی از آنان به گونه ای سخت و طاقت فرسا بوده که برای رهایی از آن به ارتش پناه آورده اند
، غافل از آن خواب سیاه و مخوفی که برایشان دیده اند ، سیاستمدارها ، ژنرال ها و در جه دارها .
همانند جامعه واقعی آمریکا در میان سربازان هم اقلیت وجود دارد ، یهودی ها ، مکزیکی ها ، آسیایی ها و باز هم همانند جامعه آمریکا در ارتش هم آنان تحقیر می شوند . خرد می شوند قبل از آنکه جسمشان شکسته شود .
واضح است که ارتش به تک تک آنان تجاوز می کند ، سلسله مراتب خشک ، اطاعت مطلق ، سلب قدرت پرسش ، توهین به شان انسانی سربازان ، کار بی وقفه ، استفاده از آنان به مانند گوشت دم توپ و از همه مهمتر ترس ، ترسی که درجه داران ، افسران در جان سربازان گذاشته اند ، یکی از این درجه دارها گروهبان کرافت است ، فرمانده دسته تجسس ، دسته ای که نورمن میلر خواننده را به میان آنها برده ، به دنیای سربازان .
شاید بتوان گفت که میلر نیمی از کتاب را به سم کرافت اختصاص داده ، کرافت است که جان سربازان را در اختیار دارد ، اوست که تصمیم می گیرد چه کسی زنده بماند یا چه کسی به ماموریتی رود که احتمال بازگشتی ندارد ، او سربازان را فقط برای ارضای میل خود از کوهستانی وحشتناک بالا می برد . آنچه کرافت را خوفناک می سازد میل مفرط او به خونریزی و کشتار است ، او هنگام دیدن سربازان تازه کار به راحتی می فهمد که آنها به زودی خواهند مرد و جالب آنکه او هیچ کاری برای آنها نمی کند ، فقط می خندد . کرافت یک اسلحه کشتار مدرن و یک جلاد است .
سایه کرافت لعنتی در کل کتاب بر سر سربازان گسترده شده ، آنها از دست کرافت است که روزی 18 ساعت راه می روند ، می جنگند و کشته می شوند ، هزاران مایل دور از خانه ، در جنگل های استوایی ، در زمین هایی بی حاصل و بی ارزش ، کویرهایی خشک که از خون سربازان آبیاری می شوند .
مصیبت هایی که سربازان در این نبرد می کشند غیر قابل باور است ، بزرگترین آن خستگی ایست ، 18 ساعت راه رفتن روزانه در تابش شدید آفتاب و با تجهیزات و کوله پشتی ، در زمین هایی سنگلاخ ، باتلاقی ، کوهستانی و شنزار . سختی که این سربازان بی نوا می کشند را به زبان نمی توان آورد ، آنها آنقدر راه می روند که به جز نقاطی روشن جایی دیگررا نمی توانند ببینند . آنها از شدت خستگی حتی توان خوردن هم ندارند .
صحبتهای سربازان با هم به شدت خواندنی ایست ، آنچه که آنان در مورد دوری از زنان و حسرت آنچه در آمریکا داشته اند سخت اثر گذار است ، صحبت هایی ساده که از دل سربازان بر می آید . آنها آرزوهای بزرگی هم ندارند ، برخی از آنان حاضرند که یک دست یا پای خود را هم از دست بدهند تا بتوانند زودتر به خانه برگردند .
نورمن میلر کتابی به شدت شاخص ، جریان ساز و ضد جنگ نوشته ، او جنگ را بازی ژنرال ها دانسته ، میلیون ها سربازی که قربانی می شوند و یادی از آنان نمی ماند تا ژنرال ها و سیاست مداران و کارخانه داران مشهورتر ، غارتگر تر و فربه تر شوند .
نورمن میلر در کتاب برهنه ها و مرده ها پوچی و بیهودگی جنگ را پیش روی خوانندگان گذاشته ، او شعاری نداده و ایده آرمانگرایانه ای هم مطرح نکرده ، او حقایق موجود در جامعه را بسط و تعمیم داده به ارتش ، جایی که هر درجه داری می تواند برای مرگ و زندگی افرادش تصمیم بگیرد .میلر ازسربازان آمریکایی قهرمان نساخته ، آنها را انسان هایی به شدت معمولی نشان داده که در جهنم جنگ قصد دارند زندگی کنند و تا جایی که می توانند از دست عفریت مرگ فرارکنند . او جهنم جنگ را ، آنچه سیاست مداران و فرماندهان ارتش شعار آن را همیشه می دهند به شکلی ساده و عریان به مردم جهان نشان داده است .
در پایان این اثر شاهکار و فراموش نشدنی ، باید تشکر ویژه ای کرد ازمترجم کتاب سعید باستانی ، او با استادی والبته با جسارت تمام زبان عامیانه و چارواداری سربازان را به فارسی برگردانده ، ترجمه محکم و جاندار او نقش و اهمیت بسیار بالایی در جذابیت بی نظیر و مبهوت کننده کتاب برای خواننده داشته است .

[piperitapitta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brothers in Arms.

Beh, è passato un bel po' di tempo da allora, da quando ho finito di leggerlo.
Ma se ancora adesso mi ricordo di loro, se ogni tanto, quando guardo un film in cui si parla anche di guerra, di quella guerra, mi ritrovo a pensare alla storia di Hearn, di Red, di Wilson, di Roth, di Brown, di Gallagher, di Croft e di tutti gli altri; se dopo tutti questi mesi ancora ricordo i loro nomi e non riesco a togliermi dagli occhi l'immagine della montagna, dell'isola del Pacifico di Anopopei immersa nella foschia, del caldo appiccicoso, della pioggia e del fango; se sento ancora il peso della barella portata a spalla e il respiro del nemico giapponese nascosto dietro ogni curva del sentiero e della giungla; se ancora ricordo tutto questo e insieme a tutto ciò che li ha uniti dal giorno in cui la guerra ha messo insieme "il plotone", ricordo anche le loro storie, una per una, così come Mailer a solo ventiquattro anni le ha raccontate, affinché il suo romanzo non fosse solo un romanzo che raccontava di una guerra vissuta in prima persona, delle battaglie e delle conquiste, della vita al fronte e delle sconfitte, dei giochi di potere e di quelli di squadra; ma anche, attraverso la macchina del tempo - che si contrappone alla diretta della guerra, con quelli che io ho definito durante la lettura, "gli inserti di vita", con i quali, un po' alla volta ci fa conoscere, in maniera più approfondita, i singoli personaggi - il ritratto delle tante città, dei tanti Stati, dei tanti americani, tutti diversi per classe sociale, razza e colore, che a quella guerra si affacciavano colmi di speranze, delusioni, miserie, ricchezze e desideri di rivincita.
E se tutto questo è vero, e lo è, ed è ancora così vivo dopo tutto questo tempo in cui ho aspettato di scrivere un commento a «Il Nudo e il morto» perché volevo lasciarlo "decantare" per capire meglio cosa fosse e cosa avesse significato per me; se poi me ne sono dimenticata, e poi, alla fine, me ne sono ricordata, e dimenticata ancora, finché oggi è arrivato il giorno per scriverlo, e adesso, finalmente, posso dire che questo libro, questo romanzo, questo best-seller, è davvero un capolavoro.
E che nessuno lo definisca "un libro di guerra", perché dentro c'è molto di più: è la guerra si fa "istituzione totale", e un romanzo in cui, pur narrando di guerra e di morte, si riesce a sentire il brulicare della vita.

«Ci sono solo due elementi fondamentali. Una nazione combatte bene in rapporto al numero di uomini che ha a disposizione. E l'altro fattore dell'equazione è che il singolo soldato è un elemento migliore se ha vissuto in condizioni miserevoli prima di arruolarsi.»

«- La necessità più profonda dell'uomo è l'onnipotenza?
- Sì. Non è la religione, è evidente, non è l'amore, la spiritualità: questi sono tutti contentini, premi che ci creiamo da soli quando i limiti della nstra esistenza ci allontanano dall'altro sogno. Raggiungere Dio. Quando veniamo al mondo siamo Dio, e il confine dei nostri sensi è l'universo. E crescendo, quando scopriamo che l'universo non siamo noi, viviamo il trauma più profondo dell'esistenza.

«Croft fissava la montagna. L'inviolato elefante che dominava sulla giungla e le misere colline.
Era pura e lontanissima, Nella luce del tardo pomeriggio era di velluto verde, di roccia azzurra e di terra chiara, una materia diversa da quella di cui era fatta la giungla.»



«Beh, tanto ti possono ammazzare una sola volta.»

Splendida anche l'introduzione, scritta da Norman Mailer nel maggio del 1998, a cinquant'anni dalla pubblicazione:

«[...] E così, a me Il nudo e il morto piace ancora. Ha i suoi pregi e i suoi difetti, ma ha senz'altro un salubre, forse anche stimolante, tocco di compassione tolstojana che mi permette di coltivare speranza per tutti noi le rarissime volte che mi guardo indietro e ne rileggo qualche pagina.
Lasciatemi quindi credere che sia possibile trovarvi un bel po' di speranza qualora lo si legga per intero.

http://youtu.be/jhdFe3evXpk

[Andrew Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't recall how many years ago I tried to read this - probably 30 or more. I recall hearing that it was the best story about war ever written so, impressionable as I was at that age, I decided I'd have to read it.

My only recollection is that very early on there was a scene of such grim death and destruction that I felt physically sickened. Coward that I was (and probably still am) I gave up the attempt to work my way through this tome immediately.

I noticed an excellent review from a GR friend and it reminded me of this unfinished task (that of my failure to complete the book, not that of recording my failure to do so). So I'm now asking myself whether I'm man enough to give it another go.

I have no answer to that question at present. Maybe I will in another 30 years.

[Sepehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

امتیاز ۴.۲

چیزی که جلب توجه میکنه امتیازات ضد و نقیضی هست که ریتینگ ها نشون میدن. عمده نمرات این رمان بین ۴و۵ بود ولی بعضی از کاربران (عمدتا خانم‌ها) بهش امتیاز ۱ دادن.
مهم ترین دلیلی که به فکرم میرسه نگاه به شدت ضد زنی هست که تقریبا تمامی کاراکترهای ارتش آمریکا در این کتاب نسبت به زنان دارند و البته خود نویسنده هم در واقعیت ضدیت خاصی با فمنیسم و جنبش‌هاش داشت.
ولی از این بحث که بگذریم رمان فوق‌العاده تاثیرگذاری بود. قلم و نثر نویسنده واقعا عالی بود و کاراکترهایی خلق کرده بود ابدا مصنوعی نبودن.
البته رمان بسیار حجیمی بود و فونت ریز یعنی اگر به فونت نرمال تبدیل بشه حتما بالای هزار صفحه خواهد بود. عمده‌ی اشکال رمان هم در همین بخش بود که گاها زیادی کش پیدا میکرد ولی خب این خودش هم یه بستری بود برای درگیری بیشتر با جریان داستان.... :)

پ.ن : کتابی که بدون در نظر گرفتن محتوای فکری-اخلاقی خاص خودش، حتما باید بخونیدش.

[Nood-Lesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Book

Una squadra di ricognitori su un’isola del pacifico in tempo di guerra. Un grafomane qualunque ne avrebbe scritto in prima persona, dal proprio punto di vista, Mailer scrive in terza e si avvale dei punti di vista di ciascun membro della squadra. Tu che leggi ti chiedi chi fra essi sia Norman, perché sicuramente lui è stato là. Ogni profilo è attendibile, i soldati sono diversi per estrazione sociale, geografica e religiosa. Con uno stratagemma che si chiama MACCHINA DEL TEMPO, in coda ai capitoli, viene raccontato cosa facessero prima di arruolarsi. Dietro a chi ti sei nascosto Norman? Dietro a Wilson, a Red, a Gallagher a Hearn? Quanto c’è di te in ognuno di loro? Le dinamiche di squadra sono restituite in modo mirabile, il senso di inadeguatezza è il motore della rabbia verso sé stessi e dell’aggressività nei confronti dei commilitoni. Alla narrazione dei fatti si affiancano excursus politici e filosofici affidati al Generale Cummings, il comandante della spedizione. Si tratta di un romanzo di novecento pagine senza la presenza fisica di una donna, ma con le donne come argomento più dibattuto. È possibile dividere la vicenda in due tronconi: l’arrivo dell’intero battaglione sull’isola con le prime schermaglie di guerra e successivamente l’assegnazione di una missione diversiva alla squadra dei ricognitori, inviati ad aggirare il fronte. Nella missione diversiva mi è parso di intravedere la balena di Melville travestita da elefante:

Vedevano in lontananza il monte Anaka stagliarsi al centro dell’isola. Si ergeva freddo e distante sulla giungla circostante, perdendosi tra le nuvole basse del cielo. Nelle prime ombre del crepuscolo sembrava un enorme elefante grigio, ritto sulle zampe anteriori, i fianchi nascosti dalla verde distesa del pascolo. La montagna pareva essere saggia e potente, terribile nella sua grandezza.
…guardò la massa scura del monte Anaka, visibile tra le tenebre come un’ombra piú densa, una massa piú grande del cielo che lo sovrastava. Era l’asse dell’isola, la sua chiave di volta.
…Dietro di lui il monte Anaka gli pesava sulla schiena quasi fosse un essere umano. Si voltò e lo fissò accigliato, con quell’emozione inarticolata che sempre provava alla vista della montagna.

In alcuni tratti ho rivissuto il piacere di leggere Updike, tanto era dettagliata la descrizione degli stati d’animo e dei comportamenti ad essi associati. La fine della missione per quanto tragica, è la liberazione dalle paure di ciascuno dei membri della squadra. I soldati stremati, dopo ottocentocinquanta pagine di sofferenza, lasciano che le loro debolezze nascoste con cura fino a quel momento, rivelino la loro vera natura, prendano il sopravvento
Se qualcuno volesse farsi un’idea di che cosa sia la guerra, di quanto sia scarso il valore di ogni vita umana, di come dolore e gioia siano i due lati di una medaglia che tutti portiamo al collo, legga questo libro

-----

Fin qui le mie considerazioni da lettore ignaro che ha scelto il Nudo e il morto dopo aver apprezzato molto The Match, il resoconto della sfida per i Pesi Massimi fra Foreman e Alì.
Da qui in poi la luce che hanno fatto il curatore Tommaso Pincio e l’autore stesso. Ve li metto ad intermittenza, sono molto godibili da leggere (per intero) entrambi, peccato che svelando il trucco tolgano una parte di magia a questo Big Book



TOMMASO PINCIO
Mailer era animato da ambizioni e passioni dirompenti, apparteneva a quel genere di romanzieri che considerano «piú importante essere un uomo che un buono scrittore». Una filosofia che vede ovviamente in Hemingway il proprio modello

NORMAN MAILER
lo scrittore che aveva iniziato l’opera a ventitré anni per completarla quindici mesi dopo, all’epoca aveva già all’attivo più di duecentocinquantamila parole scritte al college. Si trattava pertanto di un dilettante che quantomeno lavorava sodo, amava scrivere e si sentiva pronto, come può esserlo un ventiquattrenne, a mettere la propria spada a disposizione della causa della letteratura.

TOMMASO PINCIO
Voleva cambiare «il nerbo e il midollo» della sua nazione e la «coscienza» del suo tempo. E voleva farlo scrivendo il «Big Book», il Grande romanzo americano.

NORMAN MAILER
si dovrebbe chiedere all’artigiano che sta componendo queste righe quali siano le virtú del suo lavoro da dilettante. La risposta è che ha avuto la fortuna di essere profondamente influenzato da Tolstoj nei quindici mesi che ci vollero a comporre l’opera, tra il 1946 e il 1947: tutte le mattine, prima di iniziare a lavorare, leggeva qualche pagina diAnna Karenina. Quindi le sue pagine riflettono quanto aveva appreso da Tolstoj sulla compassione, pur con tutti i limiti di un ventiquattrenne.

TOMMASO PINCIO
Fu congedato dopo aver passato qualche mese in qualità di cuoco nelle forze di occupazione in Giappone, e al rientro negli Stati Uniti si gettò a capofitto nella stesura del resoconto romanzato della sua esperienza bellica. Per la trama, prese ispirazione da un fatto realmente accaduto, una missione di pattugliamento dietro le linee nemiche che si rivelò particolarmente dura. Mailer non vi prese parte perché raggiunse l’unità soltanto in seguito, ma venne a sapere dei fatti dai racconti dei sopravvissuti.
Il nudo e il morto, quello che gli regalò la fama e l’unico libro con il quale si avvicinò davvero all’obiettivo del Big Book.

[Josh Moyes · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the shittiest book I have ever read.

H. P. Lovecraft, the horror writer from the earlier decades of the 20th century, wrote very little dialogue in his stories because he was aware that he wrote bad dialogue. Stilted, pedantic garbage. He knew that his forte was the description and action of his stories and so for the most part he stuck to that and wrote some very satisfying creepy stories.

By contrast, Norman Mailer wrote a great deal of dialogue in the "Naked and the Dead". He didn't write it because it was his strong suit. He wrote it because apparently he had no one close to him who was kind enough to say, "Norm, this is garbage. You need to rewrite this." He really could have used a friend like this. He really could have used a friend who told him, "Really, man, this whole book is a steaming pile of poop. Burn it. When the stench is gone you'll feel much cleaner."

I have read a lot in the course of my life. Admittedly, not all of it has been great (see: Stephen King's "Desperation"). And some of it has been amazing. Some of it brought tears to my eyes and other stuff made me so angry I wanted to run over a convent of nuns. And in all this reading, of so many different types of fiction, I have never, and I say this with no equivocation or uncertainty, read anything as shitty as "The Naked and the Dead". I gave it one star because I couldn't figure out a way to give it a negative number of stars.

The characterization was...just bad. As I alluded, the dialogue was horrible. Yes, stilted. Yes, pedantic. But also incredibly condescending. Most characters in the book were written in overwrought colloquialism that made them all seem retarded. None of the characters in the story had a) any redeeming qualities, or, b) anything that made them interesting. Every emotion in the book was set in as clumsy a manner as I've ever read. I've seen better from high school sophomores. Everything the characters said, and every thought they had (Mailer made sure to share everything everybody thought for the duration of the book) was an incessant bitch-fest: how bad they had it, how much the army was "fugging" them, how they were certain their wives back home were nailing anything with the ability to maintain an erection. Combine all this with the fact that nobody, nobody at all, succeeded in doing a single thing they set out to do over the course of 721 pages. Whether it was leading a platoon on patrol, standing up to the crazy sergeant, or carrying a body back to camp, or any of the score of other things characters in the book "tried" to do, everybody failed and the entire point of everything they attemted was to give the reader the opportunity to listen to their fucking whining about it.

Nothing happens in the first 400 (400!) pages of the novel. Well, okay, there was some bitching. And this perverse tension as the latently homosexual general plays dominance games with his lieutenant aid. And one character's clap won't go away. But aside from that, there is a 400 page lull at the beginning that brings into question my own sanity for finishing (commitment, baby, commitment). So after a "dry beginning" that is longer than most novels, the platoon goes on its big mission. But first: let's look at the pretty sunset. So they look at the sunset and they go on their mission and not a great deal happens there either and then the book is over.

The San Francisco Chronicle calls "The Naked and the Dead" "...perhaps the best book to come out of any war." The San Francisco Chronicle is full of shit.

I read this book because Norman Mailer is one of the most acclaimed authors in the American canon. I wanted to see what sort of achievement his breakthrough novel (at the tender age of 24) might be. I expected "Saving Private Ryan". What I got was an insufferably boring novel. I might burn it. I sure wish Norman Mailer had.

Your time would be better spent reading Archie comic books.

[Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Naked and the Dead is considered a classic novel of WWII. One of its strengths is that it presents the war at several different levels: an Army general in command of a Pacific island invasion, a HQ officer, an experienced sergeant leading a platoon and the soldiers who are the implements of everyone else, some who aspire to become a noncom, while others aspire to nothing more than survival. At each of these levels, the novel is very introspective, exploring different individuals’ motivations, emotions and fears, to the extent that conversations often describe not only what is said, but what is thought and specifically not said. This internal world of the characters is as important in the novel as external events.

The events of the novel follow the invasion by the Americans of a Pacific island during WWII and focuses on the experiences of a Recon and Intelligence platoon. The novel provides unique insight into the strange combination of boredom, common physical labor, extreme physical exertion, extensive physical discomforts and ailments and periods of incredible fear that in combination make up military life, especially at the level of the regular Army soldier. It also explores the methods by which the Officers maintain control over the soldiers, how the separation between the Officers and the soldiers is created.

With all of its strengths, my first reaction to the novel was that the characters are simple caricatures that feel both bland and unlike real people. I moved past this first impression to a degree as you explore the inner lives of the various characters, but I never felt I got away completely from this generic categorization that was insulting to race, religion, country of origin and individuality. The ugly opinion of women presented consistently throughout the novel by almost all of the male characters was quite difficult to swallow. There were characters with whom I could certainly empathize but none that I really liked or respected. The novel is effective at giving us war in all of its horror, but we also get man with all of his weaknesses and insecurities. The outcome of the campaign, both for the Army and the Recon platoon is effective at driving home the cross-purposes of individual career motivations and the objectives of the military while emphasizing the insignificance of the individual.

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪖 The famous novel of WW2 by the man who wrote Armies of the Night. I liked this novel though I wasn’t overly enthused. When it comes to this sort of genre I feel that Samuel Fuller’s The Big Red One is the more powerful read 🪖

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about America. Its no secret that Tolstoy is Mailer's favorite author, and reading this book right after reading War and Peace gave me a good perspective on everything defined in this book. It captures a uniquely American milieu of characters at a time when a uniquely american sence of Idenity and patriotism was being forged. It spoke of the physical and intellectual challenges of various backgrounds through about a dozen main characters with learned empathy. And in the end and throughout you get to glimpse all the indelible cruelity of reality as would be expected by for forboding title.

The book is also brashly written by a novice. Mailer himself will admit his syntax tends towards the simplistic, which lends the book a 'page-turning,' 'thiller' characteristic that actually aides the reading experience, possibly to the chagrin or the more established lit snobs. What does hurt the book is some occasionally akward diction and character development for some of the books figures. The hispanic sergant, for example, who is a capable if not confident soldier, for some reason has an inner monologue that is written in fractured and childlike stream of consciouseness, as if Mailer equated difficulty speaking a English as a second language with stupidity. The crudeness of the soldier banter also can occasionally ring hollow, especially given liberal use of standin euphenisms for censored swear words.

In the end the book is of extreme high quality, readable, illuminating, passionate, and empathic. It is well structured and mostly well written, and in a couple places exremely influencial. I'm tempted to give it five stars, but in the end I think the book maybe wasn't as beautiful and influencial as some of my favorite five star reads.

Parting Shots:

Did anyone else think the writting of Japbait was somewhat oversimplistic?

Who else loved that last line of the book?

So the Leiutenent admitted he hated Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain, but his conversations with the General really reminded me of Catsorp's relationship with Leo Naphta in Mann's classic.

[Ubik 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una sporca dozzina

Colossale opera prima dI un Norman Mailer appena 24enne, fresco reduce dall’esperienza bellica nel Pacifico, “Il nudo e il morto” rappresenta l’ultimo o uno degli ultimi tentativi di riprodurre sulla pagina la Guerra in tutte le sue connotazioni ed implicazioni, fisiche, psicologiche, morali, esistenziali.
Certo, dopo ci saranno ancora il Vietnam, il Medio Oriente e i tanti conflitti locali sparsi per il globo, ogni volta aggiornati dall’intervento della tecnologia e dalla progressiva sofisticazione delle armi e delle “intelligence”, ma per quanto riguarda lo scontro fisico uomo a uomo, la trincea, l’assalto, la confusione totale del non sapere quanti e quali nemici si fronteggiano, tutto ciò trova in questo romanzo il culmine irripetibile.

La struttura delle oltre 800 pagine di “Il nudo e il morto” si può idealmente dividere in tre parti: nella prima metà del romanzo l’operazione di sbarco e occupazione di un’isola del Pacifico dal nome immaginario, che riproduce l’archetipo di tutte le isole sul cui territorio lussureggiante per anni giapponesi e americani si scannarono senza sosta e che conosciamo se non altro attraverso la rappresentazione hollywoodiana con la sua ampia dose di retorica yankee. Nella seconda lo sguardo si concentra sull’azione di una pattuglia di ricognitori scaraventati oltre le linee nemiche in una Mission Impossible e qui la lotta contro gli elementi della natura esprime un’intensità forse superiore allo scontro col nemico, spesso invisibile ma comunque incombente senza tregua.

Vi è poi una terza linea narrativa, quella più originale, sparsa lungo il corso della narrazione quando la trama degli eventi bellici si interrompe per dar luogo a lunghi flashback sulla precedente vita “civile” di ognuno dei componenti della pattuglia. Trattandosi nella maggior parte di giovani figli di emigrati (italiani, polacchi, ebrei, irlandesi) o comunque di poveri “figli di puttana”, la loro adolescenza coincide con gli anni ’30 ovvero in piena Depressione: sono storie di disoccupazione, lavoro in miniera, espedienti e lavori saltuari senza futuro, esperienze nella piccola criminalità di disperati che accolgono (o talora scelgono) l’arruolamento se non come ipotesi di emancipazione, quanto meno come parvenza di sicurezza e stabilità. Questo peculiare aspetto conferisce al romanzo umanità, giustificazione ai caratteri induriti e spietati di alcuni protagonisti, digressione rispetto al monolitico incedere nella jungla dell’isola di Anopopei, intensa commozione per madri, giovani mogli, talvolta anche neonati, lasciati in patria e chissà se e chissà quando ritrovabili.

Postilla: Rileggendo mi sono reso conto di avere grattato appena la superficie di questo poderoso romanzo, raffreddandone l’impatto; ma in esso si agita un’anima pulsante, dolorosa e terribile, un enorme grumo di odio e paura, di sfinimento e carne martoriata, di insetti, pus, fango e sangue a cui è impossibile restare indifferenti.

[George K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Αυτό είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο του Νόρμαν Μέιλερ που διαβάζω, μετά το εξαιρετικό αφήγημα "Ο αγώνας" που διάβασα και απόλαυσα τον Ιούλιο του 2017, και πραγματικά δεν έχω λόγια να εκφράσω τον θαυμασμό μου για το έπος που μόλις ολοκλήρωσα, μετά από έξι μέρες ανάγνωσης. Ειλικρινά, δεν ξέρω από πού να αρχίσω και πού να τελειώσω, αυτό το βιβλίο με ταρακούνησε, με συγκλόνισε, με ξετρέλανε.

Α, νομίζω ότι βρήκα ένα καλό σημείο εκκίνησης: Το πιστεύετε ότι το βιβλίο αυτό ξεκίνησε να το γράφει ο Μέιλερ όταν ήταν είκοσι τριών ετών, και ότι το είδε να εκδίδεται στα εικοσιπέντε του; Τι οξυδέρκεια, τι πάθος, τι κυνισμό είχε ο Μέιλερ στα νιάτα του, και κατάφερε να γράψει ένα επικό μυθιστόρημα για τον Β' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο, ομολογουμένως ένα από τα καλύτερα και πιο αυθεντικά μυθιστορήματα για τον καταραμένο αυτό πόλεμο, που γράφτηκαν ποτέ! Φυσικά, βοήθησε το γεγονός ότι ο Μέιλερ πολέμησε στις Φιλιππίνες, αλλά πόσοι εκατομμύρια άλλοι φαντάροι το έκαναν και δεν έγραψαν ούτε μια αράδα;

Τέλος πάντων, ο Μέιλερ έγραψε πολλές αράδες, αμέτρητες, γεμάτες ποιότητα και πάθος, παρουσιάζοντας τον παραλογισμό του πολέμου σε όλο του το μεγαλείο. Πρόκειται για το έργο ενός παθιασμένου ερασιτέχνη συγγραφέα που βάζει στο χαρτί όλα όσα είδε, έκανε και σκέφτηκε στον πόλεμο, χρησιμοποιώντας ως εργαλεία του ένα σωρό χαρακτήρες, από στρατηγούς και ανώτερους αξιωματικούς, μέχρι υπαξιωματικούς και απλούς φαντάρους, όλοι -ή έστω οι περισσότεροι- κομμάτια κρέατος έτοιμα για τη μηχανή του κιμά, όλοι -ή έστω οι περισσότεροι- γεμάτοι με όνειρα, σκέψεις και ιδέες για το μέλλον, που όμως βρίσκονται καθημερινά αντιμέτωποι με την παράνοια του πολέμου, καθώς επίσης με το σκοτάδι μέσα τους, τις προκαταλήψεις και την κακία που όλοι βγάζουν κάποια στιγμή ο ένας για τον άλλον.

Το πολεμικό αυτό μυθιστόρημα δεν διαθέτει ήρωες, δεν εμπνέει τον ηρωισμό, δεν εξιδανικεύει την αμερικάνικη συμμετοχή στο πολεμικό θέατρο της Ασίας και του Ειρηνικού, η όλη απεικόνιση απέχει παρασάγγας από κάθε έννοια περί ηρωισμού. Και οι χαρακτήρες -τόσοι οι αξιωματικοί όσο και οι φαντάροι- έχουν τους δικούς τους δαίμονες, τα δικά τους κόμπλεξ, απέχουν αρκετά από την εικόνα που έχουμε στο μυαλό μας όταν ακούμε τη λέξη "ήρωας". Τι να πει κανείς, ο Μέιλερ ήταν ένας κυνικός, και αποτύπωσε στο χαρτί μια πραγματικότητα, όσο σκληρή και ωμή κι αν είναι.

Προφανώς, το βιβλίο δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα, γιατί γενικά ο Μέιλερ και ο τρόπος σκέψης του δεν είναι για όλα τα γούστα. Και στο βιβλίο αυτό μερικές φορές μακρηγορεί, ξεφεύγει, γεμίζει ουσιαστικά και επίθετα τις περιγραφές και τις σκέψεις των χαρακτήρων του. Όμως το βιβλίο δεν με κούρασε σε κανένα, μα κανένα σημείο του. Όταν το άφηνα για κάνω κάτι άλλο, ανυπομονούσα να το ξαναπιάσω στα χέρια μου. Ναι, μου φάνηκε πολύ εθιστικό και εξαιρετικά ευκολοδιάβαστο για τον όγκο και τη θεματολογία του. Και, βέβαια, η γραφή και ο τρόπος παρουσίασης της ιστορίας και των χαρακτήρων του (με πολλά flashbacks στο παρελθόν μερικών εξ αυτών) ταίριαξαν απόλυτα με τα δικά μου γούστα. Απόλυτο δεκάρι για μένα.

[Jessica]

Executioner's Song was one of the best books I've read in the past year -- so good I haven't felt up to reviewing it -- so I had high expectations for The Naked and the Dead. The front-cover blurb from the SF Chronicle speculates that this novel is "perhaps the best book to come out of any war," which really jacked up the ante and got me intrigued.

Well, I got only a little over a hundred pages in, and IMHO The Naked and the Dead isn't bad, but it is not a better book than War and Peace or The Iliad. It's not even a true classic, though it is a good read. The Naked and the Dead was probably a lot more essential before we had access to so many war movies; you can see all the war movie cliches already present, though there isn't a black guy (the troops aren't yet integrated, and Jews and Hispanics are the minority characters here). I have to say that I don't think this has aged all that well. You can definitely see why it was a bestseller at the time, and you can also see Mailer was in his early twenties when he wrote this, his first novel.

It's a well-told story, and interesting, but it's 700 pages long. If it were 300 pages or if I cared more or didn't have other options I'd keep going, but I need to get through my post-Proustum depression with something that really makes my toes curl, and this ain't it.

Maybe some other time? It is a fun read. One of my favorite things is how all the characters say "fug" all the time, as in "fug you, motherfugger!"

It does feel dated, which is not always a bad thing.

[zed · Rating 2 out of 5]

From Here to Eternity and The Thin Red Line are far superior to this book by the acclaimed Mailer. I read this first and as much as I enjoyed the banter between Hearn and Cummings it was a bit too forced. As to the end for the mission to get spooked about insects just seemed to me that Mailer was not sure how to finish the story. The Jones books restored my faith that there were some good war novels.

[Şafak Akyazıcı · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savaş ve Barış’ın görkemli oluşuna lafım yok ancak savaş temalı kitapların en iyisi benim için Grossman’ın Yaşam ve Yazgı’sıdır. Ana teması savaş olup arka plan hikayesi az olan kusursuz bir kitaptır Yaşam ve Yazgı. Bunda Grossman’ın savaş muhabiri olmasının payı büyük muhakkak. Yine Yaşam ve Yazgı’yı okumalısınız demek istiyorum.
Norman Mailer, Grossman’nın Yaşam ve Yazgı’sını okuyup hayran kalıyor. Çıplak ve Ölü’yü yazmaya böyle karar veriyor.
Bir kere kitap biçim bakımından çok çok iyi. Dil çok iyi. Anlatım, ilk sayfadan son sayfaya kadar, böyle uzun kitaplarda zor olan bir şeydir ki fazlasıyla tutarlı. Böyle bir kitabı Norman Mailer 23 yaşında yazmış bu arada.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this long, long ago and none of the story or characters have stayed with me. What is left is an impression of a war so gritty and dirty that one feels disgusted (I remember one character having some sort of kidney problem, with attendant stomach-ache and blood in urine - for me, this has become the defining image of war). Also, the last sentence - "Hot dog!" - by a soldier contemplating possible furlough. I think Mailer achieved what he intended, at least with me.

[merixien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bu kitap ile ilgili duygularım çok karışık. Zaten okumam da çok uzun sürdü, zaman zaman ara verip başka kitaplara geçtim ya da parça parça öyküler okudum. Aralıksız bir şekilde sadece kendisini okumam mümkün olmadı alsa.

İkinci Dünya Savaşı ile ilgili, ağırlıklı olarak Avrupa odaklı kitaplar okuduğum için, Pasifik cephesi görece yabancı olduğum bir nokta. Bu açıdan da özel olarak çok kıymetli; zira Amerikan kültürünün ve sinemasının yaratmaya çalıştığı “dünyaya barışı getiren ülke” imajını cephenin içinden gelmiş Amerikalı bir yazar tarafından -hem de savaşın hemen ardından, kitap bir süre yayınlanamasa da- alaşağı edilmesi bu kitabı ayrı bir yere koyuyor. Normalde okuduğunuz İkinci Dünya Savaşı kurgu ve anlatılarında - benim için yeri çok ayrı olan Yaşam ve Yazgı ve Kadın Yok Savaşın Yüzünde’de dahi- bazı kahramanlık anlatılarına mutlaka denk gelirsiniz. Bu kitapta ise cephenin en karanlık yönünü görüyorsunuz. Pasifik’te bir adada yer alan askeri birliğin üzerinden;
kahramanlık hikayeleri anlatılan askerlerin iç dünyalarındaki fırtınaları, hayatta kalma iç güdülerini, özlemlerini ve korkularını anlatırken aslında bunların arasında bir “kahramanlık” hırsına pek de yer olmadığını, bu ikilemin ortasında günden güne hem fiziken hem de ruhsal olarak - tabii ki hayatta kaldılarsa- nasıl bir yıkıma sürüklendiklerini inanılmaz bir gerçekçilikle anlatıyor. Zaten beni tüketen de bu nokta oldu; yorgunluğu, tükenmişliği, çöküşü ve çaresizliği bu kadar hissederek okuduğum bir kitap olmamıştı sanırım. Kitabı evinizin konfor alanında okumanıza rağmen kendisiniz o siperin içinde korkunun, yokluğun ve pisliğin içine batmış gibi hissettiren rahatsız edici bir dili ve gerçekliği var.Bu anlatımı ve stratejik açıdan hiçbir önemi olmayan bir adaya göz göre göre ölmeye asker göndermesi, ast-üst ilişkilerinde uygulanan akıl oyunları ya da bir generalin dahi kendisini güvende hissetmediği, meteorolojinin haber vermediği yağmurun ardında dahi kendisine karşı entrikalar çevrildiğini düşünmesine sebep olan ordunun işleyişi üzerine anlattıkları bir araya geldiğinde; neden yayınlanmasına bir süre izin verilmediğini ve zaman karşısında geçerliliğini koruduğunu gayet iyi anlıyorsunuz; Pasifik cephesini en iyi anlatan çok güçlü bir savaş karşıtı roman. Ancak en başta da söylediğim gibi, bu etkileyici dil aynı zamanda kitabın handikapına dönüşüyor ve okuması oldukça yorucu, sık sık ara vermeniz gereken boğucu bir sürece dönüşüyor. Savaşa dair bir kitabın sizi iyi hissettirmesini beklemek tabii ki de saçmalık olur onun gayet farkındayım fakat psikolojik açıdan bu kadar yıpratıcı olmasını da beklemiyordum. O yüzden bence mutlaka okuyun bence fakat biraz zamana yayarak kendinize soluklanma molaları tanıyarak okuyun bence.

Bu arada kitabın Türkçe baskısı ile ilgili bir eleştirim olacak; karanlığı ve her türlü kötülüğü, ölümü, zorluğu okuduğunuz bir kitapta bir anda “s…bir git” , “has..tir” gibi sansürle karşılaşmak bir anda kitabın dışına, kendi oturma odanıza dönmenize sebep olan bir nokta. Keşke diğer dillerde olduğu gibi, sansürsüz bir şekilde kalsaymış diye düşünüyorum.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing book considering it was the author's first published novel. All the more amazing considering Mailer was something like 20 years old when he wrote it. I picked it up after reading somewhere that Mailer actually joined the military during WWII in order to gain some life experience so he could write a book. I really enjoyed Mailer's writing style. It was vivid, alive and gritty.

Mailer describes the jungle in perfect detail. You can almost feel yourself being smothered by the dense foliage and overpowering humidity. Add to this the atmosphere of fear and anxiety that Mailer so deftly creates and you've got a great war novel. Some of the flashbacks can become a little drawn out and at times it is a little hard to keep track of who's who due to the large number of characters. I love the fact that there is no hero or character who can be seen as the good guy. Mailer exposes each characters hang ups and dysfunctions and simply shows how each functions under the stress of combat and military life in general. I can see why this book was so controversial when it came out in the 50's (cussing, graphic violence, sexuality, homo-eroticism, etc.). This must have been a wake up call for a lot of people who were used to the sanitized John Wayne style stories of heroism and clear cut moral divides. Good stuff.

[Kip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less a war novel and more a rumination on class and military structure, Norman Mailer's World War II book is a hard-edged "Catch 22" that dispenses with satire and revels in cynicism. Unlike Joseph Heller's masterwork, perhaps the definitive WWII book in close contention with Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five," The Naked and the Dead contains no character we may call completely sympathetic, and is perhaps the only war novel out there that lacks a strict protagonist. The main character in The Naked and the Dead is the Army, and what it does to the psyche of the Greatest Generation.

Mailer invents the island of Anopopei to serve as a backdrop for his multi-character study. There's enough of a war plot here to keep the casual reader entertained; but it's clear from the outset this is not Mailer's purpose in writing. A sharp criticism of the military's structure, and what it does to the minds of men ensconced in mortal combat, becomes quickly apparent, and his characters are less fully realized individuals (though he'll give you a back story for each, conveniently around the time the reader begins to hate them or they are killed) than stand-ins for ideas. The hard-nosed, straight-laced General Cummings cares more for his personal standing than the men he must order into battle; his foil, Lieutenant Hearn, is a ne'er-do-well Ivy League boy whose idealism gets him thrown into danger. The men of the recon platoon harbor their own discriminations and a grating chauvinism that can make passages of the book difficult to read for modern audiences.

Still, Mailer gets his hard-headed point across in gripping fashion, making you care just enough about the cannon fodder who are just as capable of pathos as they are of committing unspeakably violent and terrible acts. Mailer also writes with the breathless, straightforward prose you would expect from a journalist yet paints a convincing picture of his characters and their surroundings. Casual readers will balk at the attention to military detail, a convention neither Heller nor Vonnegut thought necessary to make their points and one that can bloat Mailer's tale at times. Still, this work deserves to be read in that same post-military-industrial-complex vein, and is a worthwhile read for the sociologists and anthropologists out there as well.

[Leif Quinlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to surmise that most of the negativity I've encountered surrounding this book is rooted in or at least tertiarily related to the reviewer's feelings towards Mailer himself because if I don't allow for that, I can't understand a word of it. This is an exceptional novel. The writing is mature, the characters are alive, real, and sympathetic, the plot is well-wrought and engaging, the action is technical without being cold, the deaths are sudden and surprising, and the design is large but always contained. I want to say that it's incredible that Mailer was just 25 when he wrote "The Naked and the Dead," (as have soooooo many others) but that would be disingenuous since it's the young writer's energy and imperfection that gives this book its vitality
A quick note: I've read numerous times that "...it's good except for the 'Time Machine' sections..." "...if he could just have excised those 'Time Machine' entries..." "...the book works but his amateurism shows through in the 'Time Machine' entries..." It's nonsense - the "Time Machine" sections are not only compelling and necessary, they are skillful. Each TM section was perfectly placed and sublime. They were my favorite part of an extraordinary book. Mailer was of a different time and his behavior and opinions would've kept him out of the modern spotlight but that should not alter our perception of this magnificent work

[Julio Pino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life eats art department: Mailer left Harvard University to join the Army during World War II just "to be able to write the great World War II novel." He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Published in 1948 when Mailer was just 25, THE NAKED AND THE DEAD proved to be a masterpiece that also became, up until that point, one of the best-selling fiction works in U.S. publishing history. The novel is really about fascism INSIDE the U.S. Army, and by extension, in America. Fascism arises when futility shatters against reality, making NAKED AND THE DEAD especially timely today.

[Francesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

in una sorta di psicologica fortezza bastiani di buzzatiana memoria i soldati rimangono sempre all'erta in quest'isola dell'arcipelago giapponese in attesa delle imboscate dei nipponici, ogni anfratto, ogni cespuglio è potenzialmente un nascondiglio per i giapponesi per le loro imboscate... però a differenza della fortezza bastiani qui la battaglia arriva veramente e i nostri si trovano a combattere contro i giapponesi... pensieri verso i familiari, ammutinamenti, suicidi voluti o no, marce forzate, razioni k, 3 ore di sentinella a testa, feriti, morte, ordini eseguiti, antisemitismo, donne rimaste a casa che tradiscono, donne morte per dare alla luce i figli, leccaggi di culo, "o obbedisci oppure corte marziale oppure ti mando al fronte in prima linea", questo ed altro nel più fenomenale esordio letterario al quale uno scrittore possa mai ambire.

DARGLI L'ETICHETTA DI ROMANZO DI GUERRA SIGNIFICA SMINUIRLO COME NESSUN ALTRO ROMANZO AL MONDO

[Jonfaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seemed to him now that he was very near a fundamental understanding of himself, and he felt a sense of mystery and discovery as if he had found unseen gulfs and bridges in all the familiar drab terrain of his life. “You know,” he said, “life is funny.”

I often loved this account of anxiety and failure, though I remain certain that Mailer robbed Hemingway -- particularly -- For Whom The Bell Tolls. The jungle affords reflection on sexual incongruity and soured ambition. The Japanese don't appear for most of the book, obviously absorbed in their own angst and ennui.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young woman I swore I would never read anything by that bastard Norman Mailer. I'd read "The Executioner's Song" and thought it okay but I despised Mailer as if from a personal feminist vendetta. In fact, I still do. BUT this book knocked my socks off. I loved it. So much for prejudice.

[miledi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro eccelso. Sporco. Lascia il segno.
Norman Mailer non si è più ripetuto a questo livello.
Forse è impossibile.

[David Carrasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Y si te dijera que una de las mejores novelas de guerra jamás escritas, en realidad no habla de la guerra? ¿Que Norman Mailer creó algo tan brutalmente ambicioso que, en sus mejores momentos, roza la perfección, pero que al mismo tiempo se siente como el trabajo de un joven novelista que todavía está afilando su cuchillo? ¿Y si te dijera que este libro no solo quiere mostrar la guerra, sino destriparla, arrancarle la piel y enseñarnos lo que queda debajo?

En la superficie, Los desnudos y los muertos es una novela sobre un grupo de soldados estadounidenses que participan en la invasión de una isla del Pacífico durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Deben expulsar a los japoneses de la isla para facilitar la operación de reconquista de las Filipinas. La novela se centra en un pelotón, al mando del teniente Hearn, que es enviado al otro lado de la montaña que domina la isla en una misión de reconocimiento. Esta misión, orquestada por el general Cummings, se convierte en una metáfora de la guerra misma: una empresa sin sentido claro, donde los hombres se convierten en piezas sacrificables en un juego de poder mucho más grande que ellos mismos.

El pelotón de Hearn parece sacado de una película de Hollywood sobre la Segunda Guerra Mundial: el judío, el mexicano-estadounidense, el sureño, el sargento cruel, el irlandés católico, el polaco, el italoamericano... Todos los clichés posibles, ¿verdad? Pero lo que hace Mailer con estos personajes no es sólo jugar con esos estereotipos. Los usa para mostrarnos cómo la guerra se lleva por delante cualquier diferencia cultural o racial. Lo que de verdad importa aquí no son los orígenes, sino que todos, sin importar quiénes son, son víctimas de un sistema que los ve como carne de cañón. Aquí, el pelotón no es solo un grupo de hombres luchando en una guerra; son tipos atrapados en un engranaje que los deshumaniza, los reduce a nada más que soldados, y en ese proceso, les borra hasta su identidad.

Porque si esperas heroísmo y gloria, Mailer te va a estampar la realidad en la cara. Aquí no hay grandes gestas ni discursos épicos: hay soldados atrapados en una jungla hostil, sufriendo, odiándose unos a otros, luchando más contra la descomposición moral que contra el enemigo japonés. Porque este es un libro de guerra que, en el fondo, es un libro sobre el poder, sobre cómo los hombres se destrozan unos a otros en nombre de algo que ni siquiera entienden.

Robert Hearn es un hombre común atrapado en las mismas redes de poder que todos los demás. Sería el prototipo del liberal blanco, el yerno por el que cualquier madre suspiraría. No tiene el ardor idealista de un líder carismático, pero sí una carga de moralidad que lo hace sentir responsable de sus hombres. En muchos sentidos, Hearn es el reflejo de un mundo que no entiende por qué la guerra sigue existiendo, pero que, a pesar de todo, debe lidiar con ella. Él, al igual que los demás, no tiene claro el sentido último de la misión, lo que lo convierte en un hombre perdido, sobrecargado por la responsabilidad y, al mismo tiempo, incapaz de escapar de la maquinaria bélica. Esta indecisión y lucha interna en Hearn no es solo una cuestión de carácter; refleja cómo Mailer intenta mostrar que incluso los líderes más sensatos pueden ser arrastrados por los horrores de la guerra. Es un hombre atrapado entre su propio sentido del deber y la falta de propósito de la misión misma.

Y mientras Hearn lucha con su moralidad, el sargento Croft encarna lo opuesto: es el animal de guerra puro, el tipo que disfruta sometiendo a los demás.

”¿Por qué es así Croft?
Bueno, hay motivos. Es así por la corrupción de la sociedad. Es así porque el diablo lo ha reclamado para sí. Es así porque nació en Tejas. Es así porque ha renunciado a Dios.
Es esa clase de hombre porque la única mujer que amó lo engañó, o porque nació así, o porque tiene problemas para integrarse socialmente.
El padre de Croft, Jesse Croft, solía decir: «Así es, Sam es un cabroncete. Supongo que así lo parieron».”

Si hay alguien que realmente se siente cómodo en este infierno, ese es él. Y entre ellos dos están los soldados rasos, tratando de aferrarse a lo que les queda de humanidad en un mundo que los reduce a carne de cañón.

Y luego está el general Cummings, por supuesto. Cummings no solo ve la guerra como una máquina, sino que la entiende como un escenario donde la humanidad de sus piezas no importa. Para él, los soldados no son individuos, sino piezas sacrificables en su tablero de ajedrez, un enfoque que deshumaniza incluso a sus subordinados, como Hearn. Cummings es la encarnación de una ideología fría y despiadada. Pero ¿es un personaje realista? Aquí Mailer se permite licencias. Cummings no es tanto un general de carne y hueso como una tesis con patas: el poder absoluto engendra monstruos. Su intelectualismo extremo y su sadismo racionalizado lo convierten en un villano casi teatral, más un concepto que una figura militar con verdadera credibilidad. Es brillante en su rol, pero tal vez menos humano de lo que la novela sugiere en sus mejores momentos.

”El general sonrió levemente.
—Robert, la política tiene tanta relación con la historia como los códigos morales con las necesidades de un individuo en concreto.
Epigramas y más epigramas. Sintió asco.
—General, para cuando usted haya acabado con esta guerra y se dedique a la próxima gran consolidación, el norteamericano de este decenio tendrá la misma angustia que los europeos de la década pasada, cuando sabían que la siguiente guerra iba a terminar con ellos.
—Es probable. El estado natural del hombre del siglo veinte es la ansiedad.
—Pues vaya.
Hearn encendió un cigarrillo y descubrió con sorpresa que sus manos estaban temblando. En aquel instante, el general se volvió transparente.
Cummings había iniciado la discusión a propósito, había recuperado su equilibrio, la superioridad indefinible que por alguna razón le había faltado cuando iban a entrar en la tienda.”

A través de su figura, Mailer no solo crítica el poder absoluto, sino también cómo la fragilidad humana puede reflejarse en los líderes, quienes, al igual que los soldados, son productos de su entorno y contexto. Su carácter se vuelve aún más ambiguo, sobre todo cuando se revelan ciertas actitudes personales que podrían estar relacionadas con sus propios conflictos internos, lo que agrega una capa de complejidad a su figura de autoridad.

Y es que Cummings manda a Hearn a una muerte casi segura no por estrategia, sino por despecho, y aquí es donde se nota que Mailer tenía algunas ideas… digamos, de otro siglo. La novela deja caer que el general es homosexual, pero no con la intención de humanizarlo, sino para dejar claro cómo los deseos reprimidos pueden ser una fuente de crueldad. Mailer, reflejando su época, sugiere que la sexualidad no vivida de Cummings se entrelaza con su necesidad de control absoluto, un factor que alimenta su autoritarismo y crueldad. Y en este contexto, la guerra, con su propio sistema de poder, puede ser vista como una forma de compensación para un hombre atrapado entre sus deseos reprimidos y su necesidad de dominar. No es casual que la relación entre Cummings y Hearn empiece con un tono casi paternalista y acabe en castigo. Y tampoco parece casual que Mailer retrate esa homosexualidad no vivida como un resorte más de su tiranía. Si algo deja claro Los desnudos y los muertos, además de la brutalidad de la guerra, es lo mucho que ha cambiado —por fortuna— la forma en que entendemos estos temas.

La prosa de Mailer en esta novela es como un puñetazo lento: no te noquea de inmediato, pero sientes el efecto del impacto hundirse poco a poco. No tiene el lirismo de Faulkner ni la precisión de Hemingway, pero tiene algo igual de poderoso: una rabia contenida, una aspereza que convierte cada página en una trinchera.

”En lo profundo de la selva estaba siempre tan oscuro como el cielo antes de una tormenta de verano, y apenas corría el aire. Todo era húmedo, excesivo y caluroso, como si la jungla fuera una inmensa colección de harapos viscosos que se caldearan más y más bajo las lóbregas y sofocantes bóvedas de una planta fabril. El calor se pegaba a todo y el follaje, por reacción, adquiría tamaños prodigiosos. En aquellas profundidades, en aquel calor y humedad, nunca había silencio. Los pájaros piaban, a ras de tierra animalejos y serpientes se deslizaban y chillaban, y por debajo de todo ello había una quietud casi palpable, en la que podía distinguirse el rumor de la vegetación abstraída en su crecimiento.”

La estructura alterna entre la acción en la isla y flashbacks, breves capítulos que el autor llama “la máquina del tiempo”, que nos sumergen en las vidas pasadas de los soldados.

Mailer no deja nada en las sombras. Si tiene algún punto de vista que quiere mostrar, lo hará. Y lo repetirá. Y lo remachará con la sutileza de una granada de mano. Si el horror de la guerra debía golpearnos en la cara, Mailer se aseguró de que el golpe fuera triple. Esto no es Hemingway, donde lo que no se dice pesa tanto como lo dicho. Aquí todo está diseccionado, analizado, expuesto sin reservas. ¿Funciona? Sí. ¿Cansa? A ratos también. Es como si Mailer, con 25 años y una rabia feroz por decirlo todo, no confiara en que el lector capte la idea si no se la martilla varias veces.

Entonces, ¿cuál es el gran mensaje de Los desnudos y los muertos? Mailer carga contra la guerra, contra el poder, contra la podredumbre humana... pero nunca parece afianzar del todo su blanco principal. No es un tratado sobre la vileza de los altos mandos, aunque Cummings sea un monstruo despiadado. No es solo una novela sobre la brutalidad de los soldados, aunque cada página apeste a sudor y desesperación. Es como si Mailer hubiera querido abarcarlo todo sin decidirse por un núcleo definitivo. ¿El resultado? Un mosaico bélico apabullante pero sin un manifiesto único, como si la guerra misma no permitiera una conclusión cerrada.

Pero esto no es Sin novedad en el frente, donde la guerra destroza a los hombres pero aún deja espacio para la camaradería y la fugaz ternura. Mailer no concede esa piedad. Aquí la guerra es un matadero sin redención. El realismo es asombroso, pero también gélido. No hay un atisbo de consuelo, ni una mirada de compasión que nos dé tregua. Mailer quiere que sintamos el barro, la sangre, el tedio infernal de la espera y la crueldad sin propósito. Lo consigue. Pero quizá, al privarnos de cualquier brizna de humanidad, también nos deja sin algo que, en el fondo, hace que la guerra nos importe.

¿Sabes qué es lo que más me impactó de la novela? Un detalle, apenas un detalle. A ver, imagina esto. Llevas cientos de páginas metido en la piel de uno de los personajes, siguiéndolo, entendiéndolo, empatizando con él. Lo sientes como el centro de la historia, el tipo que nos guía en este caos. Y de repente, en una sola línea, desaparece. Una bala: ¡bang! No hay épica, no hay despedida, solo una frase seca y la novela sigue. Al principio piensas: ¿En serio? ¿Así de fácil? Pero luego te das cuenta de que es precisamente eso lo que lo hace demoledor. Porque así es la guerra. No espera. No concede finales heroicos. Solo avanza, indiferente. Y ahí Mailer te golpea con una verdad irrefutable: nadie es imprescindible. Ni en la ficción ni en el campo de batalla. Sencillamente… brutal.

Mailer tenía veinticinco años cuando escribió esta novela. Veinticinco. A esa edad, algunos apenas están terminando la universidad; él estaba escribiendo una de las novelas de guerra más importantes del siglo XX. No es perfecta, no es sutil, pero es devastadoramente honesta. Y si alguna vez quieres entender lo que realmente significa la guerra —no la de los libros de historia, sino la que se vive en las entrañas—, este es el libro que debes leer. Porque después de estas páginas, también habrás caminado por esa isla del Pacífico, desnudo y muerto a la vez.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Island of Anopopei (fictional), South Pacific Ocean; World War Two.

In this classic war novel, the author tells the story of a platoon of American soldiers as they form part of the invasion force landing on the fictional island of Anopopei in order to seize it from the occupying Japanese army.
With crystal clear observations, each soldier is identified and clearly described, both physical features and character, together with their interactions within the platoon and with their commanding officers. Told from each soldier's point of view, we witness their individual beliefs, prejudices and opinions. Also, in interesting sections at the end of each chapter dubbed 'The Time Machine', the author takes us back to the upbringing and background of each of the members of the platoon and some of the key officers.
Based very much on the author's own experiences fighting in the Pacific during World War Two, the reader witnesses not only the fighting against the Japanese forces but also the often mundane and tedious tasks which the soldiers were tasked with when not actually fighting - and also the basis of the decision-making by the General and his officers as to the strategies they intend to employ in the fight against the defending forces.
I have never read any of Norman Mailer's books before - from the ratings I probably started with the best - but I am certainly going to be on the lookout for more from this author. Even though the detailed descriptions, writing style and the length of the book rendered it a somewhat slow read for me, this was certainly one of the classic war novels and totally engrossing - 8.5/10.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since a book has gripped me like Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead. A door stopper of a book and not one you can sail through. But I finished it in a few days. It Is that good. In modern terms this is not a particularly violent or sexy book. There are battles, and death but honestly presented as stark and fearful panic inducing moments of terror. The F bomb is so fretfully coded that the author was once derided as being the writer who did not know how to spell it. This is not for the every young, but might be just the edge of reality for teens who only know of war via the likes of Chuck Norris Movies and the too many super soldier as hero type books.

Written in 1948 it is the Mailer’s first novel and it catapulted him into literary stardom. He had gotten out of the Army where he had not seen much if any of the fighting but clearly got to know our GI’s. He was a student at the Sorbonne and claims he was much inspired by Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Perhaps, but his Time Machine chapters that give us the prewar back story on most of the book’s characters; looks to have been styled from the USA Trilogy by Dos Passos. Another has suggested that Mailer’s book should be compared with James Jones’ The Thin Red Line. This is a good comparison and it is a judgement call as to which is the better.

Whatever the inspirations and the other War in the Pacific books. I liked The Naked and the Dead. Not as positive about the title which I think was part of the reason why I had not read it before.

The plot makes this one of many WWII Company level books. We are presented with the Army as America’s melting pot and soldiers going away from home to fight the good war against the bad people. Only that is hardly enough or correct. By page one we learn that the Intelligence and Reconnaissance company that will be the core of the book are about to make their second island invasion and these men do not want to “do it”. None of these men are fresh faced boys with mom and patriotism upper most in their minds. The soldiers are sons of the depression and have kicked around and been kicked around developing animal survival skills before Boot Camp. They are worried about unfaithful wives, never seen newborns and living to see something that is not a wet and dangerous enemy invested jungle.

We meet a few officers, including two over promoted ex enlisted men, a hopelessly idealistic but detached college boy lieutenant and a brilliant, though maybe not that brilliant general officer with a secret of hisown.

Mostly the men do not care why they are at war or why wars exist. They are more worried about the company pecking order, getting a full night’s sleep and staying alive. The General has a fancy notion about why there are wars. This is as close as we come to Tolstoy. We can almost believe Tolstoy’s slightly romantic, mystic explanation but even though the Generals version is almost the same formula it rings false. Whatever else war is, or why it is; it is arbitrary and sudden. Except for when it is wet lonely, and boring.

Because this book is about the men at the front there are no major female characters. We do meet many of them as they are critical to the prewar story of these men. Most are as victimized by their poverty and lack of education as their men. All expect marriage to be a way to stability and if lucky, some protection. These same women expect to work and for life to be hard. These are not weak women and several are better people then their men. There is no way to cast The Naked and the Dead as a feminist novel. Neither is it dismissive or disrespectful toward women. Some of the men are, our narrator is not.

The claim that this is the best World War II novel is mostly advertising hype. In 1948 it was likely to have been the first great American War novel and it should be shorted listed for the top spot. If this is what Norman Mailer could do in his first novel, I am going to have to seek out the product of a more mature Norman Mailer.