R.I.P. Gore Vidal
08-03-2012, 08:00 AM
So, the American essayist, author, and political commentator Gore Vidal died a couple days ago, and I thought his contributions to the visibility of LGBT people deserved a commemorative thread on GS.
Vidal never identified as gay or bisexual, he preferred to think of sexuality in classical terms of pleasure and acts, though he admitted to mostly having relationships with men. However, in 1948 Vidal published The City and the Pillar, a novel about a masculine gay man who struggles with his sexuality and an unrequited life long obsession with a straight man. The book caused Vidal to be blacklisted by major critics, like the New York Times, who refused to review his books. But this book paved the way for the voice of gay men in American media, it wasn't the greatest of novels but it was revolutionary for the time.
I think I will best remember him for his acerbic wit, he once said, "There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise." I guess we've missed out on him fixing the world, but we can take a moment to remember one of the great cultural figures of the 20th century.
The guardian did this A to Z tribute of Gore Vidal which I think is quite nice:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug...gore-vidal
Vidal never identified as gay or bisexual, he preferred to think of sexuality in classical terms of pleasure and acts, though he admitted to mostly having relationships with men. However, in 1948 Vidal published The City and the Pillar, a novel about a masculine gay man who struggles with his sexuality and an unrequited life long obsession with a straight man. The book caused Vidal to be blacklisted by major critics, like the New York Times, who refused to review his books. But this book paved the way for the voice of gay men in American media, it wasn't the greatest of novels but it was revolutionary for the time.
I think I will best remember him for his acerbic wit, he once said, "There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise." I guess we've missed out on him fixing the world, but we can take a moment to remember one of the great cultural figures of the 20th century.
The guardian did this A to Z tribute of Gore Vidal which I think is quite nice:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug...gore-vidal
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