Note: Gore Vidal is a somewhat controversial author, as he has said quite a few controversial things and had feuds with quite a few other authors (most notably Norman Mailer, William F. Buckley Jr., and Truman Capote)
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (or Eugene Louis Vidal and just Gore Vidal, 1925-2012) was an author. Vidal is largely remembered for his "acerbic wit" and LGBTQ+ characters.
Life[]
Born at the recently-made Naval Academy at West Point in New York, Vidal was the son of former aviation director Eugene Luther Vidal and actress Nina S. Gore (whom was also the author of Nina Auchincloss Straight). His grandfather (Thomas Gore) was one of the first senators for the state of Oklahoma. At age thirteen, while he was attending a college-preparatory school at St. Albans, he was baptized by the headmaster. Shortly after this, Vidal adapted the name "Gore Vidal" as a sharp, distinctive name.
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Writing style[]
Vidal's works are known for their extreme frankness on sexual manners and their depth of historical, political, and character detail. He is usually considered to be a member of the postmodernist movement.
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Notable works[]
Novels[]
- Williwaw - Vidal's debut novel, on a U.S. ship in Arctic waters
- In a Yellow Wood - a novel about a man returning home after World War II
- The City and the Pillar - one of Vidal's most famous novels, on a man who discovers he is gay
- The Season of Comfort - a novel about a child of divorced parents
- A Search for the King - a historical novel about Richard the Lionheart
- Dark Green, Bright Red - on a revolution in Central America
- A Star's Progress (under the name Katherine Everard) - a novel about a Mexican girl who becomes a star
- The Judgment of Paris - a novel about a man's life after he graduates from law school
- Thieves Fall Out (under the pseudonym Cameron Kay) - a pulp novel about an artefact smuggler
- Messiah - on the creation of a new religion
- Julian - on the Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus
- Myra Breckinridge - a satirical novel about a transgender woman
- Two Sisters - a "novelistic memoir"
- Myron - the sequel to Myra Breckinridge
- Kalki - an apocalyptic novel
- Creation - a novel set in ancient Persia
- Duluth - an experimental novel
- Live from Golgotha - a spoof of the New Testament
- The Smithsonian Institution - on an alternate creation of the nuclear bomb
Narratives of Empire[]
- Burr
- Lincoln
- 1876
- Lincoln
- Empire
- Hollywood
- Washington D.C. - the first novel to be published, but usually considered to be the sixth novel
- The Golden Age - Vidal's final novel in general
Peter Cutler Sargent II (all under the pseudonym Edgar Box)[]
- Death in the Fifth Position - shows Peter Sargent investigating the murder of a ballerina
- Death Before Bedtime - shows Peter Sargent investigating the murder of a senator
- Death Likes It Hot - shows Peter Sargent being involved with a socialite
See also[]
- Philip Roth
- John Rechy
- Norman Mailer
- Herman Wouk
Sources[]
- Wikipedia