*casually mogs every author ever*Pssshhhh, nothing personnel, kid.
His novels can be hit or miss but I don't think I've ever read a bad Gore Vidal essay.
>>24873854Faggots are unparalleled when it comes to literature.
>>24873899Truly, this.>he's an aspiring author>he's NOT a faggotEvery male author that's famous is a faggot.
never mind his talent as a plot creator or thinker. he's worth it solely for how talented he is at writing.i find the common ground between him and I to be as shaky as the saying that this man did not seduce minors, but i own every novel he has written and have purchased, for the fantastic price of 3 quid, an exquisitely preserved paperback of his best writings.
When will there be a Vidal renaissance? I rarely see him talked about anywhere even though his books are largely of exceptionally high quality.
>>24875700There will be no renaissance because he is now gay and rightwing.
Where do I start witj Vidal? Burr?
>>24875717Kalki
What would he have written about Trump? I'm sure they met.
>>24876458As president? Undoubtedly Trump's election victory would have been regarded as yet further proof of Vidal's dim view of the American education system. I imagine he would consider Trump in his first term as so much sound and fury effectively drawing attention away from the actions of the Republican party itself. The second term would have given him a heart attack if he were still alive.
>>24877253Sure, but would he have considered it an overall advancement in the plight of the nation? He's the kinda guy that wouldn't have shied away from calling out white replacement.
>>24873899TRVKE
>>24877351
>>24877337He did question the future of the white race, largely in terms of the consequences of our imperialism. I doubt he would have "called it out" in a way that anyone on the right would find satisfying, if he spoke of it at all it would probably only be to note that he had got it right.
>>24875715he's still alive?
>>24877352this picture in those days was considered immodest or at least it made the killers in in cold blood horny
>>24873884Agreed. Though he was kind of a sloppy reviewer. Also stay away from his very late writings and interviews. He became an alcoholic and had serious Alzheimer's and people agreeing to have him on at that point were complicit in elder abuse.>>24875036The American history novels have almost single-handedly held back my inherent anti-americanism.
>>24877574I suppose his reviews are often too clouded by his own ego. For example, his slagging off of Pynchon comes across as professional jealousy rather than serious critique, but I also think he's very funny when he's being a bitch, which kind of balances out that sour-ish taste.
>>24878130Oh they can be great but a lot are really lazy. I remember tracking down some minor Italian novel he recommended and realizing halfway through that he just misunderstood the plot and very likely never finished it. Not unusual among reviewers but, still made me smile. Some years ago I visited his Villa on the Amalfi Coast. Though it was in private ownership the owner took a fancy to the girl I was with and allowed us inside to take some pictures. That whole complex of villas is worth a visit. Full of fountains and fake Greek ruins. I even tracked down one of his favorite restaurants and met the owners who claimed to remember him.
>>24878150>I remember tracking down some minor Italian novel he recommended and realizing halfway through that he just misunderstood the plot and very likely never finished it.That's hilarious. I wonder if he just didn't have time to read it properly.
>>24878150That's really interesting. I know there was a good interview of him in Vanity Fair before he died when he still lived there.I consider him one of my 5 top favorite writers. His essays are so good. There are a lot of interviews you can still find on YT. I don't think he liked most of the post modern authors. If I recall he basically said Barthes was unreadable (I tend to agree.) If you think about it he was very open and clear in his communication whereas the authors he criticized were unclear. I don't think he liked that style of story telling. I always wondered whether or not he read McCarthy, but I haven't found any evidence that he had. One tidbit in a later interview (1990s), someone asked about James Baldwin. He seemed to say that he liked "Jimmy", but didn't really consider him a great author and felt that he would likely be forgotten about. Ironically, Baldwin has had a major resurgence whereas Vidal may be the one who is forgotten.Regarding Trump - I think Vidal would see it as the nail in the coffin of America. Frankly, it's probably deserved too. Think how bad GW Bush and Cheney were and now think how nice it would be to have him back.
>>24878150Truly intriguing. Have you discovered anything more about Vidal ?
>>24879187>I don't think he liked most of the post modern authorsHis essay "American Plastic: A Matter of Fiction" contains some interesting thoughts. When I said earlier that he was slagging off Pynchon, that's true to an extent, but Vidal also admires Pynchon for writing out in the world rather than from behind the security of a tenured professor's desk.
>>24878150Did you read Boyne's Ladder to the Sky? There's a Gore Vidal cameo you'd probably enjoy.
>>24879323nta, but i went to his high school. i always wondered which dorm he lived in
>>24879187>Regarding Trump - I think Vidal would see it as the nail in the coffin of America. Frankly, it's probably deserved too. Think how bad GW Bush and Cheney were and now think how nice it would be to have him back.He was both repulsed and intrigued by what he called the "Serene corruption of American politics" he didn't mind, and even admired, the occasional abuse as long as it was done by clever and charming people. Trump, though he does have his own sort of blunt sorry of cleverness, would not be to his liking.On the other hand Gore was nothing if not a contrarian so he might have adopted him, if only for a while.>>24879323>Truly intriguing. Have you discovered anything more about Vidal ?A little bit. my only other lead was meeting and briefly chatting to a guy called Michael Mewshaw who wrote a not very good book about their friendship. I suspect Gore liked to surround himself with lesser talents, likely so that he'd shine. The main impression I got was of a guy who, for all his cultivated detachment was surprisingly hurt by the public's rejection of his later books. And also if somebody who worked extremely hard. >>24880873>Did you read Boyne's Ladder to the Sky? There's a Gore Vidal cameo you'd probably enjoy.No. Will check it out. Thanks
>>24873854*will not be read by anyone in 20 years*
>>24881738I don't think he cares
>>24881955Vidal would have cared very much. His vanity was legendary
>>24881955Never underestimate the ego of Gore Vidal. I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow managed to cling on to this world as a ghost out of sheer spite.
>I don't deny you your right to be tolerant of homosexuality; one more or less has to in England. But I do think that homosexuals (not bi-sexuals, that is a matter of time and custom), however artistic and full of taste they may seem to be, always lack any deep emotional feeling. They are wonderful with surfaces. I simply could not read Angus Wilson's novel, because it seemed to me he described his characters and did not create them. People of his kind have no real emotional life. They see life through mirrors. As for their having a better understanding of women, be off with you. I know more about women than any of them will ever know, and I don't know very much. They like women who are sympathetic to them, because they are always afraid, even if they act arrogantly. Their physical bravery was proved in the war, but they are still essentially the dilettante type. t. chandler
>>24883232>you're gay and that's gay. Here's why.
I get why he trolled Buckley but why did he have to be so mean to his best friend Mailer?
>>24884028Gore wasn't trying to provoke him, words just failed Norman Mailer.
>>24884534Did he have sex with any famous straight men?
>>24881738That would be a shame. He has a few novels worthy of being remembered.
>>24884569Probably, he was reportedly extremely sexually active in his youth and not just with men either. Probably a trauma response from losing the love of his life in the war.
