The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
Widely considered the greatest American novel written about World War II, and perhaps about any war, The Naked and the Dead secured Norman Mailer’s position, at only twenty-five, as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
Based on the author’s own experience, it is a spellbinding account of a platoon of American soldiers in brutal combat to reclaim a Pacific island held by the Japanese and to face the unimaginable, within and without.
“The most ambitious novel to be written about the recent conflict… the most ruthlessly honest.”
David Dempsey, The New York Times Book Review
The Naked and the Dead is Norman Mailer’s first and likely most famous novel. Mailer was awarded the Pulitzer Prize twice (in 1968 and 1980) and the National Book Award (in 1968).