ABSTRACT
On God: An Uncommon Conversation proved to be a rather extraordinary testament not only to the depth of Norman Mailer’s religious feelings but to the stunning originality of his vision. A Mailerian God, it turns out, is an existential, artistic God. It is more good than bad. It is not all-powerful. We are made in His image, but He needs us as much as we need Him. Like Mailer, God is a warrior who fights against the Devil. Some-times, however, He is forced to collaborate with the Devil. Because Mailer can conceive of no antecedent first cause—the first cause must be God. Although a great deal of creative brilliance and hard-earned wisdom shine through On God, its sole rhetorical trick, it seems to author, is to substitute God and the Devil for everything that is loving, compassionate, wise, creative, and just—and for everything that is malevolent, toxic, evil, jealous, mean-spirited, and cruel—about the world.
