The Executioner's Song book cover

The Executioner's Song is a 1979 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 Executioners Song book cover This image is a book cover. ... The Executioners Song book cover This image is a book cover. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1948 for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. ... Norman Mailer, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1948 Norman Kingsley Mailer (born January 31, 1923) is an American writer and innovator of the nonfictional novel. ... Gary Mark Gilmore (December 4, 1940 – January 17, 1977) was a career criminal who was the first person legally executed in the United States after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. ... // History Early history Native Americans have lived in Utah for several thousand years; most archeological evidence dates such habitation about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. ...

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 first section of the book deals with Gilmore's early life and his numerous detentions in juvenile crime facilities and, later, prison. It details his release some months prior to his first murder and the relationships he establishes during that time.

The second section focuses more extensively on Gilmore's trial, including his refusal to appeal his death sentence and his attorney's refusal to accept his refusal and their continued fight on his behalf. Gilmore was executed by firing squad on January 17, 1977 after appeals filed by his lawyers (in defiance of Gilmore's wishes) were rejected. The execution had been stayed on three previous occasions. January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ...

Notable not only for its portrayal of Gilmore and the anguish surrounding the murders he committed, the book also took a central position in the national debate over the revival of capital punishment by the Supreme Court as Gilmore was the first person in the United States executed since the re-instatement of the death penalty in 1972. Death Penalty World Map Color Key: Blue: Abolished for all crimes Green: Abolished, except for crimes committed under certain circumstances (such as crimes committed in time of war) Orange: Abolished in practice Red: Legal form of punishment Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered... Seal of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest federal court in the United States of America. ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ...

The Executioner's Song was later turned into a TV movie starring Tommy Lee Jones, a role for which he won an Emmy. Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946,) is an American actor and director from San Saba, Texas. ... An Emmy Award. ...