The Idol and the Octopus: Political Writings by Norman Mailer on the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations

A Dell paperback gathering Mailer's political writings on the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, drawn largely from The Presidential Papers and Cannibals and Christians. Published 6 June 1968; the title — 'the Idol' (JFK) and 'the Octopus' (LBJ) — was once intended for The Deer Park.

The Idol and the Octopus: Political Writings by Norman Mailer on the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations (New York: Dell, 6 June 1968; softcover, 284 pp., 95¢) collects Mailer’s political prose on the two presidencies. In a note to the foreword, Mailer explains that the title “was once to be used for The Deer Park [55.4]. The Idol was to represent Charles Francis Eitel, the artist; the Octopus was Herman Teppis, the producer, the man of power. Here I use it to characterize two administrations… J.F.K. and L.B.J.”

Apart from the foreword and brief transitional material, the bulk of the collection reprints selections from The Presidential Papers (63.37) and Cannibals and Christians (66.11). The most notable exception is “On Lady Chatterley and Tropic of Cancer” (168–70), which anticipates Mailer’s later writing on D. H. Lawrence and Henry Miller (71.20, 76.12). There is no dedication.

Related pages

• 1968 | Dell Publishing
• Cannibals and Christians | The Deer Park
• The Presidential Papers (63.37) | The Prisoner of Sex (71.20) | Genius and Lust: A Journey through the Major Writings of Henry Miller (76.12)

First published: 1968-06-06
Form: collection
Lennon & Lennon: 68.11
Cite as: /works/1968-idol-and-the-octopus
Last updated: 2026-06-18