Gore Vidal 62169 226087028 2008-07-16T19:40:46Z RussBot 279219 Robot-assisted fix [[WP:DPL|links to disambiguation page]] Liberal {{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] --> | name = Gore Vidal | image =GoreVidal2008.jpg | imagesize = 200px | caption = Gore Vidal in 2008 at the [[Los Angeles Times]] Festival of Books | pseudonym = | birthname = Eugene Luther Vidal Jr.<ref>Vidal, Gore, "West Point and the Third Loyalty", The New York Review of Books, Volume 20, Number 16, 18 October 1973</ref> | birthdate = {{birth date and age|1925|10|3}} | birthplace = [[West Point]], [[New York State]], [[United States]] | deathdate = | deathplace = | occupation = [[Novelist]], [[Essayist]] , [[Playwright]] | nationality = [[United States|American]] | genre = [[Drama]], [[prose|fictional prose]], [[essay]], [[literary criticism]] | movement = [[Postmodern literature|Postmodernism]] | influences = [[Petronius]], [[Apuleius]], [[Thomas Mann]], [[Henry James]], [[Mark Twain]], [[Montaigne]] | influenced = [[William Kennedy (author)|William Kennedy]], [[Clive James]], [[Christopher Hitchens]], [[Truman Capote]] }} '''Gore Vidal''' (born [[October 3]] [[1925]]; {{pronEng|ˌgɔər v<s>ɪ</s>ˈdɑːl}} or {{IPA|/v<s>ɪ</s>ˈdæl/}}) is an [[United States|American]] [[author]] of [[novel]]s, [[stage play]]s, [[screenplay]]s, and [[essay]]s, and an erstwhile political candidate. He is an outspoken member of the American political [[The Establishment|Establishment]], and a noted [[wit]] and [[social critic]] who wrote the ground-breaking ''[[The City and the Pillar]]'' (1948) that outraged mainstream critics as the first major American novel to feature unambiguous [[homosexuality]]. <!--spacing, please do not remove--> == Early years == Vidal was born '''Eugene Luther Vidal Jr.'''<ref name="nyrb-18-oct-1973">Vidal, Gore, "[http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=9733 West Point and the Third Loyalty]", ''The New York Review of Books'', Volume 20, Number 16, 18 October 1973.</ref> in [[West Point, New York]], the only child of Lieutenant Eugene Luther Vidal (1895–1969) and Nina S. Gore (1903-1978). He was born in the Cadet Hospital of the [[United States Military Academy]], where his father was the first [[aeronautics]] instructor, and was christened by the headmaster of [[St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)|St. Albans]] preparatory school, his future alma mater.<ref>Gore Vidal, ''Point to Point Navigation'' (New York: Doubleday, 2006), p. 245.</ref> According to "West Point and the Third Loyalty", an article Vidal wrote for ''[[The New York Review of Books]]'' (18 October 1973),<ref name="nyrb-18-oct-1973"/> he disliked his birth name and as a teenager, decided to be called Gore in honor of his maternal grandfather, [[Thomas Gore]], [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[United States Senate|senator]] from [[Oklahoma]]. Vidal's father, a "brawny, handsome" West Point [[all-American]] [[quarterback]] who was director of [[Department of Commerce|Commerce Department]]'s [[Bureau of Air Commerce]] (1933–1937) in the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] administration,<ref>"Aeronatics: $8,073.61", ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', [[28 September]] [[1931]]</ref> was one of the first [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] pilots, and, according to biographer Susan Butler, was the great love of [[Amelia Earhart]]'s life.<ref>[http://www.booknotes.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1391 Booknotes<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In the 1920s and 1930s, he was a co-founder of three American airlines: the [[Ludington Line]], which merged with others and became [[Eastern Airlines]], [[Transcontinental Air Transport]] ([[TAT]], which became [[TWA]], and [[Northeast Airlines]], which he founded with Earhart, as well as the [[Boston and Maine Railroad]]. The elder Vidal was also an athlete in the [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920]] and [[1924 Summer Olympics]] (seventh in the [[decathlon]]; U.S. pentathlon team coach).<ref>"Eugene L. Vidal, Aviation Leader", ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[21 February]] [[1969]], p. 43.</ref><ref>[http://www.sdshof.com/inventory/detail.cfm?id=138 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame Profile: Gene Vidal].</ref> Gore Vidal's mother was an actress and socialite who had her [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in ''Sign of the Leopard'' in 1928.<ref>"General Robert Olds Marries", ''The New York Times'', [[7 June]] [[1942]], p. 6.</ref> She married Gene Vidal in 1922<ref>"Miss Nina Gore Marries", The New York Times, 12 January 1922</ref> and divorced him in 1935. She later married twice more; one husband was [[Hugh D. Auchincloss]] (stepfather of [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]]) and, according to Gore Vidal, she had "a long off-and-on affair" with actor [[Clark Gable]].<ref>Gore Vidal, ''Point to Point Navigation'', New York: Doubleday, 2006, p. 135.</ref> She was an alternate delegate to the [[1940 Democratic National Convention]].<ref>[http://www.politicalgraveyard.com/bio/aubert-austen.html The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Aubertine to Austern<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Vidal had four half-siblings from his parents' later marriages (the Rev. Vance Vidal, Valerie Vidal Hewitt, Thomas Gore Auchincloss, and Nina Gore Auchincloss Steers Straight) and five stepbrothers from his mother's third marriage to [[United States Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]] major general [[Robert Olds]], who died in 1943, ten months after marrying Vidal's mother.<ref>"Maj. Gen. Olds, 46, of Air Force, Dies", The New York Times, 29 April 1943</ref> Vidal's nephew [[Burr Steers]] is a writer and film director, and nephew [[Hugh Auchincloss Steers]] (1963–1995) was a painter whose work is in the [[Whitney Museum of American Art]], the [[Walker Art Center]], and the [[Denver Art Museum]]. Vidal was raised in [[Washington, D.C.]], where he attended [[Sidwell Friends School]], then [[St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)|St. Albans School]]. Since Senator Gore was blind, the boy Vidal read aloud to him and was his guide. The senator's steadfast [[isolationism]] contributed a major principle of Gore Vidal's political philosophy, which is critical of foreign and domestic policies shaped by [[American Empire (term)|American imperialism]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In 1943, on graduating from [[Phillips Exeter Academy]], Vidal joined the [[United States Army Reserve|U.S. Army Reserve]]. == Personal life == Although Vidal had a relationship with the bisexual writer [[Anaïs Nin]], described in his memoir, ''[[Palimpsest (Gore Vidal)|Palimpsest]]'' and in her memoir ''[[The Diary of Anaïs Nin]]'', Vidal himself dismisses the idea of a romantic or sexual relationship in ''Palimpsest'' (pages 105-114 in particular). In his two autobiographical books -- ''Palimpsest'' (1995) and ''Point to Point Navigation'' (2006) -- Vidal described affairs with women such as actress [[Diana Lynn]]. He also has mentioned the possibility of having fathered a daughter out of wedlock.<ref>Joy Do Lico and Andrew Johnson, "The rumours about my love child may be true, says Gore Vidal", The Independent, 25 May 2008. [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-rumours-about-my-love-child-may-be-true-says-gore-vidal-834022.html]</ref> Vidal had been briefly engaged to actress [[Joanne Woodward]] prior to her marriage to [[Paul Newman]]. They shared a house with Vidal in [[Los Angeles]] for a short time. In 1950 he met his lifetime companion, [[Howard Austen]]<ref>"What I've Learned", Esquire, June, 2008, p. 132. </ref>. For most of the late twentieth century, Vidal lived in [[Ravello]], [[Italy]], and [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. In 2003, he sold the 5,000-square-foot (460 m²) Italian villa, ''La Rondinaia'' (The Swallow's Nest), and moved to Los Angeles. Austen died in November 2003 and in February 2005 was buried in a plot for himself and Vidal at [[Rock Creek Cemetery]] in Washington, D.C. Vidal is an Honorary Associate of the [[National Secular Society]].<ref>[http://www.secularism.org.uk/gorevidal.html National Secular Society -- Gore Vidal]</ref> == Writing career == ===Fiction=== Vidal, whom a ''[[Newsweek]]'' critic called "the best all-around man of letters since [[Edmund Wilson]]",<ref> http://www.clairviewbooks.com/pages/perpetual.html</ref> began his writing career at nineteen, with the publication of the military [[novel]] ''[[Williwaw (novel)|Williwaw]]'', based upon his [[Alaskan Harbor Detachment]] duty. The novel was successful. A few years later, ''[[The City and the Pillar]]'' caused a furor for its dispassionate presentation of homosexuality. ''[[The New York Times]]'' refused to review his next five books.<ref>Gore Vidal, Point to Point Navigation (New York: Doubleday, 2006), p. 245</ref> The novel was dedicated to "J.T." After a magazine published rumors about J.T.'s identity, Vidal confirmed they were the initials of his St. Albans-era love, [[Jimmie Trimble]], who was killed in the [[Battle of Iwo Jima]] on [[June 1]], [[1945]]; later saying Trimble was the only person he had ever loved.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Subsequently, as his novels sold less, he wrote plays, films, and television series as a [[scriptwriter]]. Two plays, ''[[The Best Man (1964 film)|The Best Man]]'' and ''[[Visit to a Small Planet]],'' were both Broadway and film successes.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In addition, in the early 1950s, as "Edgar Box", he pseudonymously wrote three [[Mystery fiction|mystery]] novels featuring public relations man "Peter Cutler Sargeant II".{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In 1956, Vidal was hired as a contract screenwriter for [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In 1959, director [[William Wyler]] needed [[script doctor]]s to re-write the ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' script, originally written by [[Karl Tunberg]]. Vidal collaborated with [[Christopher Fry]], reworking the screenplay on condition that MGM release him from the last two years of his contract. Producer [[Sam Zimbalist]]'s death complicated the screenwriting credit. The [[Screen Writers Guild]] resolved the matter by listing Tunberg as sole screenwriter, denying credit to both Vidal and Fry. This decision was based on the [[WGA screenwriting credit system]] which favors original authors. Vidal later claimed that in order to explain the animosity between Ben-Hur and Messala, he had inserted a [[homosexuality|gay]] subtext suggesting that the two had had a prior relationship, but that actor [[Charlton Heston]] was oblivious.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gore Vidal, aloof in art and in life|author=Ned Rorem|publisher=Chicago Sun-Times|date=[[December 12]], [[1999]]|page=18S}}</ref> Heston denied that Vidal contributed significantly to the script.<ref>{{cite news|title= A Commanding Presence: Actor Charlton Heston sets his epic career in stone -- or at least on paper|author=Mick LaSalle|publisher=The San Francisco Chronicle|date=[[October 2]], [[1995]]|page=E1}}</ref> In the 1960s, Vidal wrote three highly successful{{Fact|date=February 2008}} novels. The first, the meticulously researched{{Fact|date=February 2008}} ''[[Julian (novel)|Julian]]'' (1964) dealt with the [[Julian the Apostate|apostate Roman emperor]], while the second, ''[[Washington, D.C. (novel)|Washington, D.C.]]'' (1967) focused on a political family during the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] era. Vidal's third novel in the '60s was the satirical [[transsexual]] comedy ''[[Myra Breckinridge]]'' (1968), a variation on familiar Vidalian themes of sex, gender, and popular culture. In the novel, Vidal showcased his love of the American films of the '30s and '40s, and he resurrected interest in the careers of the forgotten players of the time including, for example, the late [[Richard Cromwell (actor)|Richard Cromwell]], who, he wrote, "was so satisfyingly tortured in ''[[The Lives of a Bengal Lancer]]''." After two commercially unsuccessful{{Fact|date=February 2008}} plays, ''Weekend'' (1968) and ''An Evening With [[Richard Nixon]]'' (1972), and the largely unappreciated{{Fact|date=February 2008}} novel ''Two Sisters'' (1970), Vidal focused on essays and two distinct strains in his fiction. The first strain comprises novels dealing with American history, specifically with the nature of national politics. Critic [[Harold Bloom]] wrote, "Vidal's imagination of American politics...is so powerful as to compel awe." This series' [[Narratives of Empire]] titles include ''[[Burr (novel)|Burr]]'' (1973), ''[[1876 (novel)|1876]]'' (1976), ''[[Lincoln (novel)|Lincoln]]'' (1984), ''[[Empire (1987 novel)|Empire]]'' (1987), ''[[Hollywood (Vidal novel)|Hollywood]]'' (1990), ''[[The Golden Age (Gore Vidal novel)|The Golden Age]]'' (2000), and another excursion into the ancient world ''[[Creation (novel)|Creation]]'' (1981, published in expanded form 2002). The second strain consists of the comedic "satirical inventions": ''[[Myron (novel)|Myron]]'' (1974, a sequel to ''[[Myra Breckinridge]]''), ''[[Kalki (novel)|Kalki]]'' (1978), ''[[Duluth (novel)|Duluth]]'' (1983), ''[[Live from Golgotha: the Gospel according to Gore Vidal]]'' (1992), and ''[[Smithsonian Institution (novel)|The Smithsonian Institution]]'' (1998). Vidal occasionally returned to scriptwriting cinema and television, including the television movie ''[[Gore Vidal's Billy the Kid]]'' with [[Val Kilmer]], and the mini-series ''Lincoln''. He also wrote the original draft for the controversial film ''[[Caligula (film)|Caligula]]'', but later had his name removed because [[film director|director]] [[Tinto Brass]] and [[actor]] [[Malcolm McDowell]] re-wrote the [[Screenplay|script]], changing the tone and themes significantly. The producers later made a futile attempt to salvage some of Vidal's vision during [[post-production]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} ===Essays and memoirs=== Contrary to his wishes, Vidal is — at least in the U.S. — more respected as an essayist than as a novelist.<ref>{{cite news |first=Deborah |last=Solomon |title=Literary Lion |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/magazine/15wwln-Q4-t.html?ref=magazine |work= The New York Times Magazine |date=2008-06-15 |accessdate=2008-06-29 }}</ref> The critic John Keates praised him as "[the twentieth] century's finest essayist." Even an occasionally hostile critic like [[Martin Amis]] admits, "Essays are what he is good at...[h]e is learned, funny and exceptionally clear-sighted. Even his blind spots are illuminating." For six decades, Gore Vidal has applied himself to a wide variety of sociopolitical, sexual, historical, and literary themes. In 1987, Vidal wrote the essays titled ''[[Armageddon (essays)|Armageddon?]]'', exploring the intricacies of power in contemporary America. He pilloried the incumbent president [[Ronald Reagan]] as a "triumph of the embalmer's art." In 1993, he won the [[National Book Award]] for his collection of essays, ''[[United States (essays)|United States]] (1952–1992)'',<ref>[http://www.nationalbook.org/nbaacceptspeech_gvidal.html "Gore Vidal Winner of the 1993 NONFICTION AWARD for ''UNITED STATES:ESSAYS 1952-1992''" at nationalbook.org]</ref> the citation noting: "Whatever his subject, he addresses it with an artist's resonant appreciation, a scholar's conscience, and the persuasive powers of a great essayist." A subsequent collection of essays, published in 2000, is ''[[The Last Empire]]''. Since then, he has published such self-described "pamphlets" as ''Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace'', ''Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta'',and ''Imperial America'', critiques of American expansionism, the military-industrial complex, the national security state, and the current administration. Vidal also wrote an historical essay about the U.S.'s founding fathers, ''[[Inventing A Nation]]''. In 1995, he published a memoir ''[[Palimpsest]]'', and in 2006 its follow-up volume, ''[[Point to Point Navigation]]''. Earlier that year, Vidal also published ''[[Clouds and Eclipses: The Collected Short Stories]].'' Because of his matter-of-fact treatment of homosexual relations in such books as ''The City and The Pillar'', Vidal is often seen as an early champion of [[sexual liberation]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} ''Sexually Speaking: Collected Sex Writings'', a representative sampling of his views, contains literary and cultural essays that document his long campaign to mock and subvert conventional American attitudes toward sex{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. Focusing on, in his view, the anti-sexual heritage of Judaeo-Christianity, irrational and destructive sex laws, feminism, heterosexism, homophobia, gay liberation and pornography, the essays frequently return to a favorite Vidal motif: the fluidity of [[sexual identity]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Vidal argues that "although our notions about what constitutes correct sexual behavior are usually based on religious texts, those texts are invariably interpreted by the rulers in order to keep control over the ruled." In repudiating what he sees as rigid, narrow moralism, Vidal argues that "sex is a continuum" made up of "different phases along life’s way" and thus "everyone is potentially bisexual." He explains that "the human race is divided into male and female. Many human beings enjoy the sexual relations with their own sex, many don't; many respond to both. The plurality is the fact of our nature and not worth fretting about." Therefore, "there are no homosexual people, only homosexual acts." Given the diversity of human desire, Vidal resists any effort to categorize him as exclusively "homosexual"—either as writer or human being—and instead celebrates this polymorphous eroticism as natural and inevitable.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} ==Acting and Popular Culture== In the 1960s, Vidal moved to [[Italy]]; he was cast as himself in [[Federico Fellini]]'s film ''[[Roma (1972 film)|Roma]]''. In 1992, Vidal appeared in the film ''[[Bob Roberts]]'' (starring [[Tim Robbins]]) and has appeared in other films, notably ''[[Gattaca]]'', ''[[With Honors]]'', and ''[[Igby Goes Down]]''. Vidal has voiced himself on both ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and ''[[Family Guy]]''. On his 2007 lecture tour, Vidal claimed that the idea for the film ''[[Night at the Museum]]'' was taken from one of his writings.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} In 2005, [[Jay Parini]] was appointed as Vidal's [[literary executor]].[http://www.sundanceresort.com/create/hap_literary.html#] == Political views and activities== Besides his politician grandfather, Vidal has other connections with the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]: his mother Nina married [[Hugh D. Auchincloss, Jr.]], who later was stepfather of [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy]]. Gore Vidal is a fifth cousin of [[Jimmy Carter]], and a distant cousin of [[Al Gore]].<ref>[http://archive.salon.com/politics/feature/2000/09/20/vidal/index.html "The other Gore", Salon, Sept. 20, 2000]</ref> [[Image:Th-09.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Gore Vidal in the 2005 film ''[[Why We Fight (2005 film)|Why We Fight]]''.]] As a political activist, in 1960, Gore Vidal was an unsuccessful [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] candidate for Congress (running as Eugene Gore), losing an election in [[New York's 29th congressional district]], a traditionally [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] district on the [[Hudson River]], encompassing all of Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Schoharie, and Ulster Counties to [[J. Ernest Wharton]], by a margin of 57% to 43%.<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/members/electionInfo/1960election.pdf clerk.house.gov 1960 election p.31]</ref> Campaigning with a slogan of "You'll get more with Gore", he received the most votes any Democrat in 50 years received in that particular district. Among his supporters were [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], [[Paul Newman]], and [[Joanne Woodward]]; the latter two, longtime friends of Vidal's, campaigned for him and spoke on his behalf.<ref>Ira Henry Freeman, "The Playwright, the Lawyer, and the Voters", The New York Times, 15 September 1960, page 20</ref> From 1970 to 1972, Vidal was one of the chairmen of the [[People's Party (United States, 1970s)|People's Party]],[http://www.wtp.org/archive/transcripts/gore_vidal.html] and with a half-million votes, he finished second to incumbent Governor [[Jerry Brown]] in [[California]]'s 1982 Democratic primary election to the [[United States Senate]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Vidal's Senate bid had the backing of [[Liberalism|liberal]] celebrities such as [[Paul Newman]] and [[Joanne Woodward]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} The campaign was documented in the film, ''[[Gore Vidal: The Man Who Said No]]'' directed by [[Gary Conklin]]. Although frequently identified with Democratic causes and personalities,{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Vidal wrote in the 1970s: <blockquote> "[t]here is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their [[laissez-faire capitalism]] than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt—until recently... and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties."<ref>{{cite book | author = Gore Vidal | title = Matters of Fact and of Fiction: Essays 1973–1976 | publisher = Random House | year = 1977 | id = ISBN 0394411285 | pages = p. 268}}</ref> </blockquote> Vidal's political views are usually characterized either as liberal or [[progressive]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Vidal has a protective, almost proprietary attitude toward his native land and its politics: "My family helped start [this country]", he has written, "and we've been in political life... since the 1690s, and I have a very possessive sense about this country."<ref> Gore Vidal, "Sexually Speaking: Collected Sexual Writings", Cleis Press, 1999</ref> Vidal considers himself a "radical reformer" wanting to return to the "pure republicanism" of early America.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} As a prep school student, he was a supporter of the [[America First Committee]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Unlike other America First Committee supporters, he continues in the opinion that the United States should not have entered [[World War II]] (though acknowledging material assistance to the Allies was a good idea).{{Fact|date=February 2008}} He has suggested that [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]] deliberately provoked the [[Japan]]ese to attack the U.S. at [[Pearl Harbor]] to facilitate American entry to the war, and believes FDR had advance knowledge of the attack. <ref>Gore Vidal, "Three Lies to Rule By" and "Japanese Intentions in the Second World War", from ''Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta'', New York, 2002 ISBN 1560255021</ref> Vidal has contributed an article to ''[[The Nation]]'' in which he expressed support for Democratic Presidential candidate [[Dennis Kucinich]], citing him as "the most eloquent of the lot" and that Kucinich is "is very much a favorite out there in the amber fields of grain".<ref>http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071126/vidal</ref> ===Vidal vs. Buckley=== In 1968, [[ABC News]] hired Vidal and [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]] as political analysts of the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions, predicting that television viewers would enjoy seeing two men of letters engage in on-air battle.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} As it turned out, verbal and nearly physical combat ensued. After days of mutual bickering, their debates devolved to vitriolic, [[ad hominem]] attacks. During discussions of the [[1968 Democratic National Convention protests]], the men were arguing about [[Freedom of Speech]] in regards to American protestors displaying a [[Viet Cong]] flag when Vidal told Buckley to "shut up a minute" and, in response to Buckley's reference to "pro-[[Nazi]]" protestors, went on to call Buckley a "crypto-Nazi." The visibly livid Buckley replied: "Now listen, you [[queer]]. Stop calling me a crypto-Nazi, or I'll sock you in the goddamn face and you'll stay plastered." After an interruption by anchor and facilitator [[Howard K. Smith]], the men continued to discuss the topic in a less hostile manner.<ref>{{cite web|title=William Buckley/Gore Vidal Debate|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRjZR8j4-z4|accessdate=2008-02-28}}</ref> Later, in 1969, the feud was continued as Buckley further attacked Vidal in the lengthy essay, "On Experiencing Gore Vidal", published in the August [[1969]] issue of ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]''. The essay is collected in ''The Governor Listeth'', an anthology of Buckley's writings of the time. In a key passage attacking Vidal as an [[apologist]] for homosexuality, Buckley wrote, "The man who in his essays proclaims the normalcy of his affliction [i.e., homosexuality], and in his art the desirability of it, is not to be confused with the man who bears his sorrow quietly. The addict is to be pitied and even respected, not the pusher." Vidal responded in the September 1969 issue of ''Esquire'', variously characterizing Buckley as "anti-black", "[[anti-semitism|anti-semitic]]", and a "warmonger".<ref>{{cite news|Author=Gore Vidal|title=A Distasteful Encounter with William F. Buckley Jr.|publisher=''Esquire''|date=September, 1969|page=140}}</ref> The presiding judge in Buckley's subsequent [[libel]] suit against Vidal initially concluded that "[t]he court must conclude that Vidal's comments in these paragraphs meet the minimal standard of [[fair comment]]. The inferences made by Vidal from Buckley's [earlier editorial] statements cannot be said to be completely unreasonable."{{Fact|date=February 2008}} However, Vidal also strongly implied that, in 1944, Buckley and unnamed siblings had vandalized a [[Protestant]] church in their [[Sharon, Connecticut]], hometown after the pastor's wife had sold a house to a [[Jewish]] family. Buckley sued Vidal and ''Esquire'' for libel. Vidal counter-claimed for libel against Buckley, citing Buckley's characterization of Vidal's novel ''[[Myra Breckinridge]]'' as [[pornography]].{{Fact|date=February 2008}} The court dismissed Vidal's counter-claim; Buckley [[settlement (law)|settled]] for $115,000 in attorney's fees and an editorial statement from ''Esquire'' magazine that they were "utterly convinced" of the untruthfulness of Vidal's assertion.<ref>"Buckley Drops Vidal Suit, Settles With Esquire", The New York Times, 26 September 1972, page 40</ref> However, in a letter to ''[[Newsweek]]'', the ''Esquire'' publisher stated that "the settlement of Buckley's suit against us" was not "a 'disavowal' of Vidal's article. On the contrary, it clearly states that we published that article because we believed that Vidal had a right to assert his opinions, even though we did not share them." As Vidal biographer, Fred Kaplan, later commented, "The court had 'not' sustained Buckley's case against ''Esquire''... [t]he court had 'not' ruled that Vidal's article was '[[defamation|defamatory]].' It had ruled that the case would have to go to trial ''in order to determine as a matter of fact whether or not it was defamatory.'' [italics original.] The cash value of the settlement with ''Esquire'' represented 'only' Buckley's legal expenses [not damages based on libel]... " ultimately, Vidal bore the cost of his own attorney's fees, estimated at $75,000. In 2003, this affair re-surfaced when ''Esquire'' published ''Esquire's Big Book of Great Writing'', an anthology that included Vidal's essay. Buckley again sued for libel, and ''Esquire'' again settled for $55,000 in attorney's fees and $10,000 in personal damages to Buckley.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} After Buckley's death on February 27, 2008, Vidal succinctly summed up his impressions of his rival with the following obituary on March 20, 2008: "RIP WFB—in hell." <ref>http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080320_gore_vidal_speaks_seriously_ill_of_the_dead/</ref> In a June 15, 2008 interview with the ''New York Times'', Vidal was asked by Deborah Solomon, "How did you feel when you heard that Buckley died this year?" Vidal responded, "I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred."<ref>Solomon, Deborah. "Literary Lion: Questions for Gore Vidal." ''New York Times''. 15 June 2008. [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/magazine/15wwln-Q4-t.html?_r=2&ref=books&oref=slogin&oref=slogin]</ref> ===Other controversies=== Vidal has stirred controversy by his contact with [[Timothy McVeigh]]. The two began corresponding while McVeigh was imprisoned; Vidal believes McVeigh bombed the federal building as retribution for the [[FBI]]'s role in the 1993 [[Waco massacre|Branch Davidian Compound massacre]] in [[Waco, Texas]].<ref>Gore Vidal, "The Meaning of Timothy McVeigh." ''Vanity Fair'', September 2001.</ref> Vidal is a member of the advisory board of the [[World Can't Wait]] organization, a left-wing organization, which demands the [[movement to impeach George W. Bush|impeachment of George W. Bush]] and the charging of [[Bush administration|his administration]] with [[crimes against humanity]].<ref>{{cite web|title=World Can't Wait Advisory Board|url=http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=1&Itemid=2|accessdate=2002-07-29}}</ref> During an interview in the 2005 documentary, ''[[Why We Fight (2005 film)|Why We Fight]]'', Vidal claims that during the final months of [[World War II]], the [[Imperial Japan|Japanese]] had tried to surrender to the United States, but to no avail. He said, "They were trying to surrender all that summer, but [[Harry Truman|Truman]] wouldn't listen, because Truman wanted to drop the bombs." When the interviewer asked why, Vidal replied, "To show off. To frighten [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]. To change the balance of power in the world. To declare war on [[communism]]. Perhaps we were starting a pre-emptive world war." Though [[Japan]] did sue for peace, the surrender to which Vidal referred was not the unconditional surrender after the bombing of [[Nagasaki, Nagasaki|Nagasaki]], but a ''[[status quo ante bellum]]'' surrender that would have averted, among other things, military occupation.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} === Views on September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States === Vidal is strongly critical of the [[George W. Bush administration]], listing it among administrations he considers to have either an explicit or implicit [[expansionism|expansionist]] agenda.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} He claims that for several years, the Bush administration and their associates have aimed to control the oil of [[central Asia]] (after, in his view, gaining effective control of the oil of the [[Persian Gulf]] in 1991). Specifically regarding the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Vidal writes how such an attack, which American intelligence warned was coming, politically justified the plans that the administration already had in [[August 2001]] for invading [[Afghanistan]] the following October.{{Fact|date=February 2008}} Vidal derides [[NORAD]]'s purported delay in mobilizing fighter airplanes to intercept the hijacked airliners.<ref>[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3156121348015048039&sourceid=docidfeed&hl=en Gore Vidal Interview with Alex Jones Infowars, October 29, 2006 Texas Book Fest<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In May 2007, Vidal clarified his views, saying: "I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm a conspiracy analyst. Everything the Bushites touch is screwed up. They could never have pulled off 9/11, even if they wanted to. Even if they longed to. They could step aside, though, or just go out to lunch while these terrible things were happening to the nation. I believe that of them." <ref>[http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2072740,00.html]</ref> ==Bibliography== === Essays and non-fiction === *''Rocking the Boat'' ([[1963 in literature|1963]]) *''Reflections Upon a Sinking Ship'' ([[1969 in literature|1969]]) *''Sex, Death and Money'' ([[1969 in literature|1969]]) (paperback compilation) *''Homage to Daniel Shays'' ([[1972 in literature|1972]]) *''Matters of Fact and of Fiction'' ([[1977 in literature|1977]]) *''The Second American Revolution'' ([[1982 in literature|1982]]) *''Armageddon?'' ([[1987 in literature|1987]]) (UK only) *''At Home'' ([[1988 in literature|1988]]) *''A View From The Diner's Club'' ([[1991 in literature|1991]]) (UK only) *''Screening History'' ([[1992 in literature|1992]]) ISBN 0-233-98803-3 *''Decline and Fall of the American Empire'' ([[1992 in literature|1992]]) ISBN 1-878825-00-3 *''United States: essays 1952&ndash;1992'' ([[1993 in literature|1993]]) ISBN 0-7679-0806-6 *''Palimpsest: a memoir'' ([[1995 in literature|1995]]) ISBN 0-679-44038-0 *''Virgin Islands'' ([[1997 in literature|1997]]) (UK only) *''The American Presidency'' ([[1998 in literature|1998]]) ISBN 1-878825-15-1 *''Sexually Speaking: Collected Sex Writings'' ([[1999 in literature|1999]]) *''The Last Empire: essays 1992&ndash;2000'' ([[2001 in literature|2001]]) ISBN 0-375-72639-X (there is also a much shorter UK edition) *''Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace or How We Came To Be So Hated'', Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002, ([[2002 in literature|2002]]) ISBN 1-56025-405-X *''Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta'', Thunder's Mouth Press, ([[2002 in literature|2002]]) ISBN 1-56025-502-1 *''Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson'' ([[2003 in literature|2003]]) ISBN 0-300-10171-6 *''Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia'' ([[2004 in literature|2004]]) ISBN 1-56025-744-X *''Point to Point Navigation : A Memoir'' ([[2006 in literature|2006]]) ISBN 0-385-51721-1 *''The Selected Essays of Gore Vidal'' ([[2008 in literature|2008]]) ISBN 0-385-52484-6 === Plays === *''[[Visit to a Small Planet]]'' (1957) ISBN 0-8222-1211-0 *''[[The Best Man (1964 film)|The Best Man]]'' (1960) *''On the March to the Sea'' (1960&ndash;1961, [[2004]]) *''Romulus'' (adapted from [[Friedrich Duerrenmatt]]'s 1950 play ''[[Romulus der Große]]'') (1962) *''Weekend'' (1968) *''Drawing Room Comedy'' (1970) *''An Evening with Richard Nixon'' (1970) ISBN 0-394-71869-0 *''On the March to the Sea'' (2005) === Novels === *''[[Williwaw (novel)|Williwaw ]]'' ([[1946 in literature|1946]]) ISBN 0-226-85585-6 *''[[In a Yellow Wood]]'' ([[1947 in literature|1947]]) *''[[The City and the Pillar]]'' ([[1948 in literature|1948]]) ISBN 1-4000-3037-4 *''[[The Season of Comfort]]'' ([[1949 in literature|1949]]) ISBN 0-233-98971-4 *''[[A Search for the King]]'' ([[1950 in literature|1950]]) ISBN 0-345-25455-4 *''[[Dark Green, Bright Red]]'' ([[1950 in literature|1950]]) ISBN 0-233-98913-7 (prophecy of the [[Guatemala]] coup d'etat of 1954, see "In the Lair of the Octopus" ''Dreaming War'') *''[[The Judgment of Paris (novel)|The Judgment of Paris]]'' ([[1952 in literature|1952]]) ISBN 0-345-33458-2 *''[[Messiah (1954 novel)|Messiah]]'' ([[1954 in literature|1954]]) ISBN 0-14-118039-0 *''[[A Thirsty Evil]]'' ([[1956 in literature|1956]]) (short stories) *''[[Julian (historical novel)|Julian]]'' ([[1964 in literature|1964]]) ISBN 0-375-72706-X *''[[Washington, D.C. (novel)|Washington, D.C.]]'' ([[1967 in literature|1967]]) ISBN 0-316-90257-8 *''[[Myra Breckinridge]]'' ([[1968 in literature|1968]]) ISBN 1125979488 *''[[Two Sisters (novel)|Two Sisters]]'' ([[1970 in literature|1970]]) ISBN 0-434-82958-7 *''[[Burr (novel)|Burr]]'' ([[1973 in literature|1973]]) ISBN 0-375-70873-1 *''[[Myron (novel)|Myron]]'' ([[1974 in literature|1974]]) ISBN 0-586-04300-4 *''[[1876 (novel)|1876]]'' ([[1976 in literature|1976]]) ISBN 0-375-70872-3 *''[[Kalki (novel)|Kalki]]'' ([[1978 in literature|1978]]) ISBN 0-14-118037-4 *''[[Creation (novel)|Creation]]'' ([[1981 in literature|1981]]) ISBN 0-349-10475-1 *''[[Duluth (novel)|Duluth]]'' ([[1983 in literature|1983]]) ISBN 0-394-52738-0 *''[[Lincoln (novel)|Lincoln]]'' ([[1984 in literature|1984]]) ISBN 0-375-70876-6 *''[[Empire (1987 novel)|Empire]]'' ([[1987 in literature|1987]]) ISBN 0-375-70874-X *''[[Hollywood (Vidal novel)|Hollywood]]'' ([[1990 in literature|1990]]) ISBN 0-375-70875-8 *''[[Live from Golgotha: the Gospel according to Gore Vidal]]'' ([[1992 in literature|1992]]) ISBN 0-14-023119-6 *''[[The Smithsonian Institution (novel)|The Smithsonian Institution]]'' ([[1998 in literature|1998]]) ISBN 0-375-50121-5 *''[[The Golden Age (Vidal)|The Golden Age]]'' ([[2000 in literature|2000]]) ISBN 0-375-72481-8 *''[[Clouds and Eclipses : The Collected Short Stories]]'' ([[2006 in literature|2006]]) (short stories, this is the same collection as ''A Thirsty Evil'' (1956), with one previously unpublished short story - ''Clouds and Eclipses'' - added) ===Screenplays=== *''[[The Catered Affair]]'' (1956) *''[[I Accuse!]]'' (1958) *''[[Suddenly, Last Summer (film)|Suddenly, Last Summer]]'' (1959) *''[[The Best Man (1964 film)|The Best Man]]'' (1964) *''[[Is Paris Burning?]]'' (1966) *''[[Last of the Mobile Hot Shots]]'' (1970) *''[[Caligula (film)|Caligula]]'' (1979) *''[[Dimenticare Palermo]]'' (1989) === Under pseudonyms === *''A Star's Progress'' (aka ''Cry Shame!'') ([[1950 in literature|1950]]) as Katherine Everard *''Thieves Fall Out'' ([[1953 in literature|1953]]) as Cameron Kay *''Death Before Bedtime'' ([[1953 in literature|1953]]) as Edgar Box *''Death in the Fifth Position'' ([[1952 in literature|1952]]) as Edgar Box *''Death Likes It Hot'' ([[1954 in literature|1954]]) as Edgar Box === Film appearances and interviews === *''[[Gore Vidal: The Man Who Said No]]'' (1982 documentary) *''[[Bob Roberts]]'' - as Senator Brickley Paiste (1992 film) *''[[With Honors]]'' - Plays the pessimistic and right-wing Prof. Pitkannan (1994 film) *''[[Gattaca]]'' - Plays Director Josef in science-fiction film (1997) *''[[Thinking XXX]]'' (2004 documentary) *''[[Da Ali G Show]]'' (2004 TV) *''[[Why We Fight (2005 film)|Why We Fight]]'' (2005 film) *''[[Inside Deep Throat]]'' (2005 film) *"[[One Bright Shining Moment]]" (2005 film) *''[[Foreign Correspondent (TV program)|Foreign Correspondent]]'' - with former NSW premier [[Bob Carr]] *''[[The U.S. Versus John Lennon]]'' (2006 film) *[[Hollywood Bowl]], [[Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra]] concert, August 2, 2007 - Narrated [[Aaron Copland]]'s [[Lincoln Portrait]] (conducted by [[Michael Tilson Thomas]]) from a wheelchair. *''[[The Henry Rollins Show]]'' (2007 TV) *"[[The Simpsons]]" episode: "[[Moe'N'a Lisa]]" *"[[Family Guy]]" episode: "[[Mother Tucker]]" *[[Alex Jones (radio)|Alex Jones]] radio show (2006) *''Terrorstorm: Final Cut Special Edition'' (2007) *''[[Lateline]] - ABC Television Australia Interview'' (2nd May 2008) *''[[Democracy Now]]'' - [http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/14/legendary_author_gore_vidal_on_the interview: on the Bush Presidency, History and the "United States of Amnesia"] (14th May 2008) *''[[The South Bank Show]]'' (18th May, 2008) *''[[HARDtalk|Hardtalk - BBC News]]'' (22nd May, 2008) *''[[The Andrew Marr Show]] (25th May, 2008) *''[http://www.insight-info.com/articles/item.aspx?i=1203 The US is not a republic anymore]'' (June, 2008) == See also == * [[Politics in fiction]] == Notes == {{reflist|2}} == External links == {{wikiquote}} {{commons}} * [http://www.pitt.edu/~kloman/vidalframe.html The Gore Vidal Index], by Harry Kloman * [http://garyconklinfilms.com/GoreVidal.html Clip from documentary film of Gore Vidal's 1982 run for U.S. Senate.] * [http://www.planetout.com/news/history/archive/gorevidal.html Who is Gore Vidal?] at [[Planetout.com]] * [http://archive.salon.com/books/int/1998/01/cov_si_14int.html Salon Magazine Interview], January 1998 * [http://www.booktv.org/ram/feature/1000/arc_btv100100_4.ram C-SPAN Book TV In Depth], [[October 1]] [[2000]]; [[RealVideo]] format, 3 hours * [http://www.citypages.com/databank/26/1268/article13085.asp "The Undoing of America"], Interview in ''City Pages'' March 2005 * {{WiredForBooks|gorevidal 1992 Audio Interview with Gore Vidal, RealAudio format, 35 minutes}} *[http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ci=108&ch=entertainment&sc=books&sc2=features&sc3=&id=1409&pf=1 Interview with Gore Vidal], with Christine Smith of ''The Edge'', [[21 December]] [[2005]] *[http://www.truthdig.com/tag/gore%20vidal Truthdig.com], several interviews with Gore Vidal *[http://www.theparisreview.com/viewinterview.php/prmMID/3917 Gore Vidal: The Art of Fiction No. 50] Interview with ''The Paris Review'', Fall 1974 *[http://gadflyonline.com/archive/July99/archive-gore-vidal.html America's Biographer], interview from ''Gadfly'', July 1999 *[http://gadflyonline.com/archive/July99/archive-moregore.html More with Gore], Vidal fields questions from Stanley Crouch, Marianne Faithfull, Michael Lind and others, from ''Gadfly'', July, 1999 *[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000683/ Gore Vidal at the] [[Internet Movie Database]] * [http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1614 Gore Vidal on CBC's The Hour] *[http://www.nybooks.com/authors/213 Gore Vidal New York Review of Books author profile] including a list of his reviews and essays from over 40 years, along with a bibliography <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> *[http://www.therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisepisode=45 Gore Vidal on The Real News Network], Interviews with Gore Vidal on The Real News Network. *[http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2004.11-elections-gore-vidal-wikipedia/ Gore Redux], ''Walrus Magazine'' * [http://www.thenation.com/blogs/audioblog?bid=8&pid=29221 Gore Vidal at 80], Interview with Marc Cooper of ''The Nation'', [[16 October]] [[2005]] * [http://nysoundposse.com/2005/11/event-gore-vidal-and-professor-dennis.html New York Sound Posse], Gore Vidal and [[Dennis Altman]] speaking about ''Gore Vidal's America'' on [[November 7]] [[2005]] at D.G. Wills Books in La Jolla, California, 86 min, in mp3 format *[http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/14/legendary_author_gore_vidal_on_the Legendary Author Gore Vidal on the Bush Presidency, History and the “United States of Amnesia”] Gore Vidal interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Radio Pacifica May 14, 2008 (mp3 and rush transcript) *[http://www.spectator.co.uk/intelligence/455996/gala-event-a-conversation-with-gore-vidal.thtml A Gala Conversation with Gore Vidal] 1 hour interview with [[Melvyn Bragg]] followed by a 17 minute audience Q&A session. Recorded in London on May 20, 2008 as part of ''[[The Spectator]]'''s ongoing ''IQ<sup>2</sup> Debates'' series. (mp3 format) *[http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=36F0F3B04BD1C8C5 Gore Vidal at Hardtalk] The writer's perspective on US politics <!--spacing, please do not remove--> {{Essayists}} =====tags:===== {{POV|date=December 2007}} {{Persondata |NAME=Vidal, Gore |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Vidal, Eugene Luther Gore |SHORT DESCRIPTION=American author |DATE OF BIRTH=[[October 3]], [[1925]] |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[West Point, New York|West Point]], [[New York]] |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal, Gore}} [[Category:1925 births]] [[Category:American atheists]] [[Category:American dramatists and playwrights]] [[Category:American essayists]] [[Category:American expatriates in Italy]] [[Category:American historical novelists]] [[Category:American memoirists]] [[Category:American novelists]] [[Category:American political writers]] [[Category:American screenwriters]] [[Category:American tax resisters]] [[Category:LGBT writers from the United States]] [[Category:Conspiracy theorists]] [[Category:Edgar Award winners]] [[Category:Gay writers]] [[Category:History of United States isolationism]] [[Category:LGBT screenwriters]] [[Category:American liberal activists]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Military brats]] [[Category:People from Los Angeles, California]] [[Category:People from New York]] [[Category:Phillips Exeter Academy alumni]] [[bg:Гор Видал]] [[ca:Gore Vidal]] [[de:Gore Vidal]] [[es:Gore Vidal]] [[eo:Gore Vidal]] [[eu:Gore Vidal]] [[fa:گور ویدال]] [[fr:Gore Vidal]] [[hi:गोर विडाल]] [[io:Gore Vidal]] [[id:Gore Vidal]] [[it:Gore Vidal]] [[he:גור וידאל]] [[nl:Gore Vidal]] [[ja:ゴア・ヴィダル]] [[pl:Gore Vidal]] [[pt:Gore Vidal]] [[ru:Видал, Гор]] [[sh:Gore Vidal]] [[fi:Gore Vidal]] [[sv:Gore Vidal]] [[zh:戈尔·维达尔]]