Norris Church Mailer
Encyclopedia
Norris Church Mailer was the widow of American novelist, Norman Mailer
, and author of the memoir
, A Ticket to the Circus, and of several novels.
Before her relationship with Mailer, she married Larry Norris, gave birth to son Matthew in 1972, and was divorced in 1975. After her divorce, she claimed to have "had a fling" with Bill Clinton
.
, taught high-school
art, and wrote about a hundred pages of a novel which she later reshaped into Windchill Summer, and published in 2000.
She had read Norman Mailer
's biography of Marilyn Monroe
and arranged in 1975 to attend a party in Russellville at which he was a guest. They went to her home after the party. After he left Arkansas, she mailed him a love poem, which he returned to her, marked up with his compositional criticism. Four months later, having left her job, she moved with his help to a brownstone
row house apartment in Brooklyn Heights
, and became a model
with Wilhelmina Models
. She adopted her former married name, Norris, as her first name and took Mailer's suggestion of Church as her surname.
Their son, John Buffalo Mailer
, was born in 1978 and they married in 1980. Church said she decided to leave Mailer in the early 1990s because of his many affairs, but he dissuaded her.
Norman Mailer died in 2007. She published her memoir, A Ticket to the Circus, in 2010, and explained that the title described her life with Mailer, his seven children by his other wives, and her own two children: "Well, I bought a ticket to the circus. I don't know why I was surprised to see elephants."
. She died on 21 November 2010, aged 61, at her home in Brooklyn Heights following her eleven year battle with cancer.
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, and author of the memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
, A Ticket to the Circus, and of several novels.
Before her relationship with Mailer, she married Larry Norris, gave birth to son Matthew in 1972, and was divorced in 1975. After her divorce, she claimed to have "had a fling" with Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Life with Norman Mailer
After her divorce, she lived in Russellville, ArkansasRussellville, Arkansas
Russellville is the county seat and largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 27,920, according to the 2010 Census. It is home to Arkansas Tech University and Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant...
, taught high-school
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
art, and wrote about a hundred pages of a novel which she later reshaped into Windchill Summer, and published in 2000.
She had read Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
's biography of Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and arranged in 1975 to attend a party in Russellville at which he was a guest. They went to her home after the party. After he left Arkansas, she mailed him a love poem, which he returned to her, marked up with his compositional criticism. Four months later, having left her job, she moved with his help to a brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
row house apartment in Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights is a culturally diverse neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Originally referred to as 'Brooklyn Village', it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834. As of 2000, Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,594 people. The neighborhood is part of...
, and became a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
with Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
. She adopted her former married name, Norris, as her first name and took Mailer's suggestion of Church as her surname.
Their son, John Buffalo Mailer
John Buffalo Mailer
John Buffalo Mailer is an American author, playwright, actor, producer, and journalist.-Life and career:Mailer was born in Brooklyn, the youngest child of novelist Norman Mailer and author Norris Church Mailer. Mailer is a graduate of Wesleyan University. He has written several screenplays and...
, was born in 1978 and they married in 1980. Church said she decided to leave Mailer in the early 1990s because of his many affairs, but he dissuaded her.
Norman Mailer died in 2007. She published her memoir, A Ticket to the Circus, in 2010, and explained that the title described her life with Mailer, his seven children by his other wives, and her own two children: "Well, I bought a ticket to the circus. I don't know why I was surprised to see elephants."
Health
From 2000 onwards, she had six major operations for gastrointestinal cancerGastrointestinal cancer
Gastrointestinal cancer refers to malignant conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including the esophagus, stomach, biliary system, pancreas, bowels, and anus. The symptoms relate to the organ affected, and can include obstruction , abnormal bleeding, or other associated problems...
. She died on 21 November 2010, aged 61, at her home in Brooklyn Heights following her eleven year battle with cancer.