The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer

The Executioner's Song is a 1980 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Norman Mailer that depicts the events surrounding the execution of Gary Gilmore by the state of Utah for murder. The title of the book may be a play on "The Lord High Executioner's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. Based almost entirely on interviews with the family and friends of both Gilmore and his victims, the book is exhaustive in its approach. Divided into two sections, the book focuses on the events leading up to the murders and the trial and execution of Gilmore, including full documentation of Gilmore's court appearances and his decision to demand his execution rather than to continue the appeals process.

The 1643rd greatest fiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 81st on The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
  2. - Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Pulitzer Prize)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
Executioner's Song (Arena Books) Paperback 2442073 $17.68 $17.67 1991
The Executioner's Song Mass Market Paperback 990420 $24.97 $0.01
The Executioner's Song Kindle Edition 33722 $8.89 2012
The Executioner's Song: A True Life Novel Paperback 2068095 $66.38 $0.01
Executioners Song 1ST Edition Hardcover 2070972 $106.28 $4.33
The Executioner's Song Paperback 2241726 $247.52 $51.09
The Executioner's Song (Modern Library) Hardcover 1500626 $68.40 $2.51 1993
The Executioner's Song Paperback 580498 $13.65 $0.16 1998
The Executioner's Song Paperback 2537318 $39.40 $0.01
La canción del verdugo (Spanish Edition) Paperback 8694676 $23.30 2006
The Executioner's Song Hardcover 155020 $44.91 $0.98 1979
The Executioner's Song Paperback 101771 $11.65 $9.00 2012