four
i tried to read the last couple of mailer novels (harlots ghost and the gospel according to the son) and i found them insanely over the top examples of ego fueled logherra--the epic, the doorstop gets more critical respect then the small, tight book and i wonder why (cf the body artist vs underworld--to use a male example)

five
mostly men write for the big papers as book critics, and the dick swinging in favour of mailer might be dick swinging in general--im convinced its why people still read more hemmingway then hurston, for example.