Norman Mailer: Works and Days

The Crazy One

A portrait of the Mexican bullfighter Amado Ramirez (El Loco); one of three closely related versions of the El Loco essay, reprinted as "Homage to El Loco."

Opening of "The Crazy One," Playboy, October 1967

A portrait of the Mexican bullfighter Amado Ramirez, a.k.a. El Loco. Rpt: as “Footnote to ‘Death in the Afternoon’” in The Bullfight (67.20); “Homage to El Loco” in 72.7 and 82.19. Lennon notes 67.20, though published later, was likely written earlier; the versions do not differ significantly.

First published: 1967-10
Form: essay
Lennon & Lennon: 67.17
Cite as: /works/1967-10-the-crazy-one
Last updated: 2026-05-30