Harlot's Ghost
Encyclopedia
Harlot's Ghost a fictional chronicle
of the Central Intelligence Agency
by Norman Mailer
. The characters are a mixture of real people and fictional figures.
of Harry Hubbard, which is made up of anecdotes of his adventures in the CIA. The very beginning of the book starts with Harry being told by a friend that his mentor
Hugh Montague has either been assassinated or committed suicide
on his boat. He then is told by his wife, Kittredge, that she has been unfaithful and is in love with another man. Emotionally worn, he goes to Russia. It is there that he rereads the dense manuscript of his life at the CIA, whose working title is "The Game". At that point, the book really begins. The rest of the book follows his relationship with his father, his lover, Kittredge, and other people with whom he worked.
The book ends in 1984 with the words "To be continued."
, John Simon
), a distinguished minority (e.g., Christopher Hitchens
, Anthony Burgess
, Wilfrid Sheed
, Salman Rushdie, Michael Silverblatt
and John W. Aldridge), considered it among Mailer's finest fictions, if not, as in the cases of Aldridge and Hitchens, his masterwork.
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
of the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
by 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...
. The characters are a mixture of real people and fictional figures.
Summary
At first it appears to be the autobiographyAutobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of Harry Hubbard, which is made up of anecdotes of his adventures in the CIA. The very beginning of the book starts with Harry being told by a friend that his mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
Hugh Montague has either been assassinated or committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on his boat. He then is told by his wife, Kittredge, that she has been unfaithful and is in love with another man. Emotionally worn, he goes to Russia. It is there that he rereads the dense manuscript of his life at the CIA, whose working title is "The Game". At that point, the book really begins. The rest of the book follows his relationship with his father, his lover, Kittredge, and other people with whom he worked.
The book ends in 1984 with the words "To be continued."
Reception
Although the novel was unfavorably received by most critics (e.g., Louis MenandLouis Menand
Louis Menand is an American writer and academic, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Metaphysical Club , an intellectual and cultural history of late 19th and early 20th century America....
, John Simon
John Simon (critic)
John Ivan Simon is an American author and literary, theater, and film critic.-Personal life:Simon was born in Subotica, Bačka, County of Bačka, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later, known as Yugoslavia . He is of Hungarian descent...
), a distinguished minority (e.g., Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
, Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess
John Burgess Wilson – who published under the pen name Anthony Burgess – was an English author, poet, playwright, composer, linguist, translator and critic. The dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is Burgess's most famous novel, though he dismissed it as one of his lesser works...
, Wilfrid Sheed
Wilfrid Sheed
Wilfrid John Joseph Sheed was an English-born American novelist and essayist.Sheed was born in London to Francis "Frank" Sheed and Mary "Maisie" Ward, prominent Roman Catholic publishers in the United Kingdom and the United States during the mid-20th century...
, Salman Rushdie, Michael Silverblatt
Michael Silverblatt
Michael Silverblatt is the host of Bookworm, a nationally syndicated radio program about books and literature, originating from Los Angeles public radio station KCRW. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo, Silverblatt created the half-hour interview show in 1989 to share his love of literature, poetry and...
and John W. Aldridge), considered it among Mailer's finest fictions, if not, as in the cases of Aldridge and Hitchens, his masterwork.