Advice for a Gore Vidal newbie, please!

bpcmxr

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:11 PM
Original message

Advice for a Gore Vidal newbie, please!

Hi All,

I've been a fan of Gore Vidal for years - his interviews & commentaries about the USA under the Bush Administration especially. I've never read any of his books however and want to begin and don't know where to start. Or perhaps I shouldn't even concern myself with where to start and just dive in?

Any & all advice would be appreciated - thanks!

Tom

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ayeshahaqqiqa

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:14 PM
Response to Original message

1. The best of his books, in my opinon, is

Lincoln. The words Lincoln speaks are almost all direct quotes--but Vidal paints the picture that puts them in context in a memorable way. Didn't like Burr or 1876 nearly as much, but then I've been interested in Lincoln since I was 5 years old.

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many a good man

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Sat Dec-30-06 11:00 PM
Response to Reply #1

15. I heard it was Ronald Reagan's favorite book!

Gore's favorite among his own works is Creation. Both rank among my favorites. You won't regret reading as many books in his American Empire series as you can.

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demnan

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:16 PM
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2. Historical or Satire -

Vidal has two streaks. I suggest you read one book from each. You can start with Burr, about Arron Burr, and Myra Breckinridge. Both of these have been out since the 1960's. Then read Lincoln and Myron, their sequels. Have fun.

Creation, a historical one, is also good.

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twilight_sailing

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Fri Dec-15-06 01:21 PM
Response to Reply #2

10. Creation

Thank you. I couldn't remember that for the life of me.

Liked it a lot.

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Mist

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:26 PM
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3. I admire and respect Vidal (hence my avatar)-- I would add to the

suggestions above that you read the collections of his essays, and his more recently released "pamphlets" (as Vidal himself calls them), "Dreaming War" and "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace." Three of his large collections of essays are: The Last Empire; United States; and Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia.

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Lost4words

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #3

5. I read "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace." Very good place to start.

I would like to get into his essays soon myself.

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terrya

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Mon Dec-25-06 08:02 AM
Response to Reply #3

14. Good choices. "United States" is a terrific starting place,

His essays are must reads.

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valerief

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:34 PM
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4. Myra Breckinridge/Myron. I preferred Myron. Oh, you're not looking

for silly. Well, then, I'll let others advise you.

:crazy:

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demnan

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:37 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Myron was the funniest satire ever written

and using the names of the Supreme Court Justices as cuss words lived on for years in my family.

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valerief

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:51 PM
Response to Reply #6

8. I remember there was a line about how the smell of 1948 was

unique, and I tried for the longest time to imagine what that smell was.

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bpcmxr

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:52 PM
Response to Reply #4

9. No no! Silly is good!

Vidal's wit and vocabulary and irreverent & snarky sense of humor are what originally caught my attention ... something like my discovery of H.L. Mencken. Finding Vidal to be a kindred spirit (of mine) politically was a bonus.

I really appreciate EVERYone's recommendations here - thank you so much! I'll walk into the Wall Street Borders later armed with good information.

Tom

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dhill926

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Fri Dec-15-06 12:45 PM
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7. where to start...

I really think he is one of the towering geniuses of our time. His writing covers a wide range of subjects and styles. Maybe start with his historical novels of the US; Burr, Lincoln, 1876...etc. He uses some of the same characters and families throughout, which helps propel the narrative. Then of course his essays. I suggest "United States," which is compilation of essays from 1952 - 1992, many of which are eerily prescient today. Great satirical novels. His memoirs are fascinating, what a life! And, I've always had a soft spot for "Kalki." But yeah, pour a nice glass of whatever, and just dive in.

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SouthPasadenaDem

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Fri Dec-15-06 01:29 PM
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11. Just dive in.

I've enjoyed everything of his.

Even though this is the non-fiction forum, I would particularly recommend Live From Golgatha: The Gospel According to Gore Vidal, which I just read a year ago (it's been out a dozen or so years) and is wonderfully satiric.

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lettre de cachet

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Sat Dec-16-06 03:18 AM
Response to Original message

12. Julian

Julian was about the Emporer (also known as the Apostate) who tried to return pagan worship to Rome after Constantine's reign. Very good book.

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reprehensor

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Tue Dec-19-06 05:28 PM
Response to Original message

13. The Mothership

The Gore Vidal Index
http://www.pitt.edu/~kloman/vidalframe.html

Not sure if anyone sent you this, but it's indispensible for putting a reading order together for his American Chronicles series. Lots of other stuff there too.

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Lydia Leftcoast

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Thu Jan-11-07 09:21 PM
Response to Reply #13

16. I loved his historical novels

They're a great companion piece to Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, because he takes a similarly non-standard view of the famous events and personnages of American history.

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