The Executioner's Song
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Norman Mailer |
| Products | True crime narrative |
The Executioner's Song (1979) is a Pulitzer Prize-acclaimed true crime narrative authored by Norman Mailer, which details the circumstances surrounding the execution of Gary Gilmore for murder in Utah. The title alludes to "The Lord High Executioner's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado and also serves as the name of a poem by Mailer, as well as a chapter in his 1975 nonfiction book The Fight.
This work's in-depth depiction of Gilmore and the repercussions of his offenses significantly influenced the nationwide discourse on capital punishment following the 1976 Supreme Court ruling in Gregg v. Georgia, which reinstated the death penalty after it had been suspended due to Furman v. Georgia. Gilmore became the first individual executed in the United States after this reinstatement.
Background
In April 1976, Gary Gilmore, aged 35, was released from incarceration after serving 13 years for armed robbery in Indiana. He relocated to Utah to reside with his cousin Brenda Nicol, who acted as his sponsor and assisted him in finding work. Shortly thereafter, Gilmore entered into a relationship with Nicole Baker, a 19-year-old widow with two children.
Despite efforts to reform, Gilmore's erratic conduct resulted in altercations, thefts, and substance abuse. Following Baker's decision to end their relationship in July, Gilmore committed two murders during separate robberies on consecutive days. Brenda Nicol eventually reported him to authorities.
After his conviction for murder in September, Gilmore received a death sentence. Although his execution was postponed three times, he became a prominent figure in the media by demanding an accelerated execution process. Both he and Baker entered into a suicide pact that led to temporary comas in November. On January 17, 1977, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied appeals submitted by the American Civil Liberties Union, Gilmore was executed by firing squad—the first judicial execution in the U.S. since Luis Monge's gas chamber sentence in Colorado in 1967.
Summary
Primarily based on extensive interviews with Gilmore’s relatives, acquaintances, and victims, the book offers a comprehensive examination. It is divided into two parts: the first details events leading up to the murders, while the second covers Gilmore’s trial and execution, including thorough records of his court appearances and his choice to reject appeals in favor of immediate execution.
The initial section explores Gilmore’s early years, juvenile detentions, imprisonment, and release shortly before committing his first murder, emphasizing relationships developed during this timeframe.
The latter section centers on Gilmore’s trial proceedings, his refusal to seek appeals against the death penalty, interactions with Lawrence Schiller, and ongoing efforts by his lawyers on his behalf.
Gilmore's decision to die
Mailer expressed that Gilmore "appealed to me because he embodied many of the themes I've lived with all my life." He highlighted that a central motif involves the profound decision between embracing death immediately and "saving one's soul."
Critic Mark Edmundson observed:
From the moment Gilmore accepts death, he gains dignity [...] developing a romantic faith. His effort is to conduct himself so he can die what he would credit as a 'good death'.
Reception
The Executioner's Song earned the Playboy writing award in 1979 and secured the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1980, while also being shortlisted for the 1980 National Book Award.
Christopher Ricks described it as "a masterpiece distinguished by its breadth, insight, and subtlety." Joan Didion commended Mailer's genuine Western narrative style, calling it "an utterly remarkable book." David Lodge emphasized its "persistent strength as a factual narrative" that both moves and educates its audience.
Conversely, some reviewers expressed reservations. Charles Nicholl argued that Mailer exaggerated Gilmore's personal magnetism and suggested the text required further refinement. Alice R. Kaminsky critiqued Mailer’s depiction of Gilmore as either a victim or a genius, contending this portrayal diminished the significance of Gilmore's criminal actions in her work The Victim’s Song.
Film adaptation
Mailer transformed his novel into a screenplay for the 1982 television film The Executioner's Song, featuring Tommy Lee Jones—who received an Emmy Award for his performance—alongside Eli Wallach, Pat Corley, Christine Lahti, and Rosanna Arquette. Directed by Lawrence Schiller, the movie includes the character Larry Samuels, representing Mailer himself.
External links
- The Executioner's Song at Project Mailer
- Joan Didion’s review of The Executioner’s Song