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Gore Vidal was an American author best known for his political commentary and television appearances. Born in 1925, Vidal rarely had kind words for his nation, often referring to the United States as a decadent empire ruled by a militaristic dictatorship.
vidal died in 2012 at the age of 86.
You are reading: Gore vidal books in order
+biography
gore vidal was born to eugene luther vidal and nina gore at west point in new york. she attended st. alban preparatory school At birth, Gore was christened Eugene Louis Vidal.
It wasn’t until he was baptized at the age of 13 in Albans that he received the name “gore”. That was in 1939. Two years later, the author became Gore Vidal and chose to drop the other names for him because he believed that an author needed something sharp and succinct for a name if people wanted to remember it.
Vidal’s father was a military officer, a lieutenant at a military academy in the United States. he worked in the aeronautics department. Vidal’s mother, who divorced her father in 1935, was an actress who had the fortune to act on Broadway.
nina gore remarried on two separate occasions, and the marriages gave gore vidal some half-siblings. the author began reading at an early age. This was due in part to his grandfather, Thomas Pryor Gore, who at one point went blind and asked the young Vidal to read aloud to him.
vidal’s love for italy and, in particular, rome was well documented. The author toured Europe as a young man and Rome had such an impact on him that it featured heavily in several of his literary creations.
the author regrets not staying longer in europe. World War II forced him to return to the United States. Vidal had the opportunity to serve his country when he was 17 years old. he joined the army, became a ship’s first mate, and while traversing the area between san francisco bay and the aleutian islands, he wrote ‘williwaw,’ his first novel.
gore vidal loved writing about the public and private life of the united states. He was an intellectual who enjoyed pitting his wits against that of Norman Mailer and William Buckley in debates on religion, sex, and politics.
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and vidal had no qualms about fighting fire with fire. he threw as much offense and vitriol at his opponents as he received. he took every opportunity to attack the views of conservative readers and critics of his books.
+literary career
gore vidal’s first work of fiction was a military novel titled williwaw. Vidal’s second novel (The City and the Pillar) put him on the map. the book not only featured a homosexual protagonist, but delved into the nature of homosexual relationships.
The book sparked a powerful self-righteous furor, and while it definitely raised the visibility of Gore Vidal’s name, it also saw his works ostracized from certain literary circles. most critics criticized the central message of the books from her.
but that did little to affect the success of vidal whose literary career soared. At the time of his death, the author had more than two hundred essays to his name, not including the two dozen novels in his bibliography.
vidal always held strong progressive views. he tried to run for office on the Democratic ticket twice, but lost. so he directed his efforts toward pushing the democratic party’s agenda in his essays.
The author ultimately died of complications from pneumonia. But when he died, Gore Vidal was better known for his outspoken political, social, and cultural views than for the books and essays he wrote.
The author had a tendency to make such incendiary statements and suggestions that even pro-Democratic newspapers and magazines would not print his words.
That didn’t stop him from finding ways to get his messages heard.
+burr
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Gore Vidal has produced numerous works on United States history. He has gone to great lengths to explore eras ranging from the Revolution to World War II.
In Burr, Vidal takes a look at one of the country’s most complicated founding fathers. being vice president was the least significant of aaron burr’s accomplishments. He not only killed his political nemesis (Alexander Hamilton) in a duel, but was accused of treason at one point.
despite gaining a reputation as a monster, vidal’s respect never waned, and neither did his influence on the political landscape.
burr is the first book in the empire narratives series. The book puts the spotlight on Aaron Burr, a figure who set fire to the political arena of his time. Despite the chaos he was prone to creating, Burr came very close to becoming President of the United States.
gore vidal uses his wicked sense of humor and charming literary style to present the different dimensions of aaron burr. Vidal tells the story of Burr using Charles Schuyler, a young author who likes Burr and allows him to write his biography.
charles is hired to listen to burr’s narration and arrange it appropriately, producing a literary work that doesn’t necessarily tell the truth but, rather, tells of burr’s life as he perceived it. The book finds Burr in his 70s. Despite all the scandals he’s faced, Burr isn’t afraid to call it quits because despite the respect he still enjoys in some circles, the political powerhouse is obsessed with not being forgotten.
+lincoln
lincoln is one of the best presidents of the united states. In the pages of this book, Gore Vidal tries to shed light on the different aspects of this monolithic figure. The Abraham Lincoln Vidal he writes about was not adamant in his opposition to slavery.
this lincoln faced a lot of infighting over the decision to fight against the machine that bought and sold people like cattle. and he only took those first steps to become the great emancipator when all other avenues had been exhausted and ultimately ineffective.
At that point, Lincoln plunged headlong into the turmoil of war even as the personal tragedy left him reeling.
lincoln is the second novel in the empire narratives series. The book shows the extensive research that Gore Vidal did on the person of Lincoln and the many people with whom she became engaged.
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