Norman Mailer: Works and Days

Saul Bellow

American novelist and 1976 Nobel laureate in Literature; a long-standing peer and rival of Mailer. When Bellow won the Nobel in December 1976, Mailer wired his congratulations: 'he deserved it.'

Saul Bellow, the American novelist, was among the writers against whom Mailer measured himself across his career. When Bellow received the Nobel Prize in Literature in December 1976 — the same day Mailer discussed his own novel-in-progress with the New York Times — Mailer’s reaction was generous: “To my surprise, I felt good about Saul getting it, because he deserved it. I sent him a telegram of congratulations” (see 76.18).

Stub created during the 1976 ingest.

Cite as: /people/saul-bellow
Last updated: 2026-06-04