Gore Vidal [1925-2012]
Gore Vidal died last night at age 86 because of complications from pneumonia.
When I was younger, back in college, I loved Gore Vidal. I read almost all of his essays and I tried to read most of his novels (I didn’t succeed–he has published some 50 books). His book United States: Essays 1952–1992 is one of the best collection of political essays I have read.
People who know Vidal at all know him for different reasons. Some know him as a writer of historical novels known as the Narratives of Empire: Burr (covering 1775-1805 and 1833-1836), Lincoln (1861-1865) 1876 (1875-1877), Empire (1898-1907), Hollywood (1917-1923), Washington D.C. (1937-1952) and The Golden Age (1939-1954).
Others know him for his outspoken pro-homosexuality stance. His third novel 1948’s The City and the Pillar caused quite the controversy for presenting sympathetic gay characters. He also wrote Myra Breckenridge about a transsexual character. His published quote from about sexuality (from 1969) is:
We are all bisexual to begin with. That is a fact of our condition. And we are all responsive to sexual stimuli from our own as well as from the opposite sex. Certain societies at certain times, usually in the interest of maintaining the baby supply, have discouraged homosexuality. Other societies, particularly militaristic ones, have exalted it. But regardless of tribal taboos, homosexuality is a constant fact of the human condition and it is not a sickness, not a sin, not a crime … despite the best efforts of our puritan tribe to make it all three. Homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality. Notice I use the word ‘natural,’ not normal.” (more…)
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