A Fire on the Moon
A Fire on the Moon by Norman Mailer, published by Penguin Books in 2014, is a detailed account of the Apollo 11 mission, capturing the first attempt to land men on the moon. This 432-page book is written in the moment, reflecting Mailer’s fascination with the astronauts and his own anxieties regarding the monumental task they faced. The narrative intertwines technical challenges with the broader context of America during a tumultuous period marked by the Vietnam War.
Readers will find a compelling exploration of the mission’s uncertainties and the emotional landscape surrounding it. Mailer presents a vivid portrayal of the astronauts and the societal introspection of the time, making the book a significant reflection on both space exploration and the cultural climate of the late 1960s. With its focus on biography, science, and history, A Fire on the Moon offers insights into the complexities of human ambition and the technological feats of the era.
Official synopsis Publisher
Mailer’s superb account, written as it was happening, of the first attempt to land men on the moon
‘Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.’
A Fire on the Moon tells the scarcely credible story of the Apollo 11 mission. It is suffused with Mailer’s obsession both with the astronauts themselves and with his own anxieties and terrors about the extremity of what they were trying to achieve. Mailer is both admiring and appalled and the result is a book which is both a gripping narrative and a brilliant depiction of the now-forgotten technical issues and uncertainties around the mission. A Fire on the Moon is also a matchless portrait of an America caught in a morass of introspection and misery, torn apart by the war in Vietnam. But for one, extraordinary week in the summer of 1969 all eyes were on the fates of three men in a rocket, travelling a quarter of a million miles away from Earth.
With an introduction by Geoff Dyer.
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “A Fire on the Moon” about?
Who is the author of “A Fire on the Moon”?
When was “A Fire on the Moon” published?
What is the ISBN for “A Fire on the Moon”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
