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MAILER, NORMAN (1923- ) American writer He won early renown with his World War II novel The Naked and the Dead (1948). His sharp views of American society are reflected not only in such semiautobiographical novels as An American Dream (1966) but also in The Armies of the Night (1968; Pulitzer), a journalistic account of the 1967 peace march on Washington, and The Executioner's Song (1979; Pulitzer), a novelistic treatment of the convicted killer Gary Gilmore. Harlot's Ghost, a long novel about the CIA, was published in 1991. MANICS REFERENCE: 'I AM STRONGER THAN MENSA, MILLER AND MAILER' (Faster lyrics) FOR MORE INFORMATION: Norman Mailer

MENSA "The Mensa International Society provides a forum for intellectual exchange among members. Its activities include the exchange of ideas by lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national, and international gatherings; the investigations of members' opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa." You can join only if your IQ is in the top 2% of the populaton, all other distinctions (colour of your skin, religion, etc.) are irrelevant. MANICS REFERENCE: 'I AM STRONGER THAN MENSA, MILLER AND MAILER' (Faster lyrics) FOR MORE INFORMATION: Mensa International Society

MILLER, HENRY (1891-1980) American author Miller sought to reestablish the freedom to live without the conventional restraints of civilization. His books are potpourris of sexual description, quasi-philosophical speculation, reflection on literature and society, surrealistic imaginings, and autobio graphical incident. After living in Paris in the 1930s, he returned to the United States and settled in Big Sur, California. Miller's first two works, Tropic of Cancer (Paris, 1934) and Tropic of Capricorn (Paris, 1939), were denied publication in the U.S. until the early 1960s because of alleged obscenity. The Colossus of Maroussi (1941), a travel book of modern Greece, is considered by some critics his best work. His other writings include the Rosy Crucifixion Trilogy-Sexus (1949), Plexus (1953), and Nexus (1960). In 1976 Norman Mailer edited a selection of Miller's writings, Genius and Lust. MANICS REFERENCE: 'I AM STRONGER THAN MENSA, MILLER AND MAILER' (Faster lyrics)

PINTER, HAROLD (1930- ) English dramatist In his comedies of menace, the commonplace is invested with tension and mystery, often through the use of silence. The Dumbwaiter (1957), The Birthday Party (1958), The Caretaker (1960), The Homecoming (1965), Betrayal (1978), and Moonlight (1993) are among his best-known plays. His screenplays include The Servant (1963) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981). MANICS REFERENCE: 'I SPAT OUT PLATH AND PINTER' (Faster lyrics) FOR MORE INFORMATION: Harold Pinter

PLATH, SYLVIA (1932-63) American poet Her finely crafted, intensely personal poems, known for their sharp, often violent imagery, appear in such volumes as The Colossus (1960), Ariel (1965), and Collected Poems (1981). She also wrote an autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar (1962, England; 1971, U.S.). Plath committed suicide in London. MANICS REFERENCE: 'I SPAT OUT PLATH AND PINTER' (Faster lyrics) FOR MORE INFORMATION: Sylvia Plath