Kevin M. Schultz

Imagine a time when public intellectuals debated in college auditoriums instead of having to be escorted through secret tunnels. Imagine writers as good as Buckley and Mailer offering plenty of unbelievably great--and regrettable--sentences in pages and pages of their work that appeared on a regular basis. And imagine two fiercely proud and often arrogant men on opposite sides of the spectrum having enough respect for each other's intelligence and confidence in their own that they could show more actually become friends. Such is the premise of Buckley and Mailer, a terrific portrait of the pair. The idea of garden-variety conservatives and liberals getting along and engaging in a genuine exchange of ideas seems like a pipe dream now--especially since writers like these are nowadays hard to find. Schultz is very good about the eras, the day-to-day events, and the ways in which Buckley and Mailer became "Buckley" and "Mailer" as their celebrity increased. There are also terrific stories in here, such as Mailer's run for mayor of NYC with Jimmy Breslin. (Their campaign slogan: "No more bullshit!")This book made me want to reread some of Buckley's and Mailer's work and some that I haven't, such as Why Are We in Vietnam? and The Unmaking of a Mayor. Wholly enjoyable and highly recommended. show less