That time Norman Mailer brought his sexism to a debate and enraged women writers everywhere
Susan Sontag asked him to stop calling her a “lady writer”
On April 30, 1971, a panel of prominent feminist thinkers gathered for a public debate at the Town Hall in New York City. The event was moderated by the novelist Norman Mailer, who had just published a sprawling polemic against the women’s lib movement called The Prisoner of Sex. Among other things, the book was critical of the new focus on the clitoral orgasm. According to the New York Times review, Mailer saw it as a “push-button approach to sex.” He began writing the book in response to feminist writer Kate Millett, who called Mailer a “prisoner of the virility cult” in her 1970 book Sexual Politics, criticizing him for living in thrall to a masculine ideal that valorized violence and domination.
At one point during the very heated debate (which can be viewed in full in the documentary Town Bloody Hall), critic Susan Sontag stands to ask Mailer what she says will be a very “quiet question.” In fact, it was a distillation of a still-relevant issue for women writers. “Norman,” she says, “it is true that women find with the best of will the way you talk to them patronizing.” Appealing to Diana Trilling (whom Mailer had just addressed) for her opinion, Sontag continues, “I don’t like being called a lady writer, Norman. I know it seems like gallantry to you, but it doesn’t feel right to us.”
Mailer replies, “I could have called Diana a ‘woman critic’ or a ‘female critic.’” “A critic!” shouts a woman’s voice from the audience. “I could have called her a critic,” Mailer replies, “but I wished to say that she was the best in kind.” The crowd jeers. Embarrassed, Mailer tries to recover. “Anyway, as you all should have known…if any of you had the wit…I was putting Diana on.” The women in the crowd boo loudly.
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