The Executioner’s Song

Lawrence Schiller recounts the origins and evolution of his nearly thirty-five-year collaboration with Norman Mailer, focusing on The Executioner's Song (1979). He details the genesis of the Gilmore project: his initial reporting trips to Utah, his efforts to secure exclusive access, and his search for a writer capable of transforming his interviews into literature. Throughout, Schiller reflects on his role as researcher, producer, and — ultimately — as a character within the book itself, serving as Mailer's surrogate and the narrative link between its two central figures.