Let me be clear that I have absolutely no knowledge of Gore Vidal, the private man. For all I know he might have been a perfect gentleman and a scholar, a stalwart friend and a kind man. Nor, I must confess, do I 'know' his public persona too well, either. The occasional radio or TV interview and from time to time odd stories in the press. However, even from that tiny sampling I can say that he always struck me as a pompous, patrician pri... - well, I will not continue the alliteration, you get the picture, I think. He could have won multiple gold medals at the Olympics for haughty superciliousness, to say nothing of just plain old silliness! No doubts, no hesitations, no re-evaluations were ever permitted to interfere with the unstoppable stream of pronouncements from on high which he spewed forth throughout his life. Frankly, the airwaves are very slightly better for his absence - and, no, I never read any of his books, either!
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Thursday, 02 August 2012
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Apparently his confidence outstripped his knowledge by a considerable margin. According to Peter Hitchens, he thought Britain's intelligence service was called "M Sixteen", and had very little evidence for his elaborate conspiracy theories. Like you, I knew very little about him and read nothing substantial of his, but his pronouncements always made me think that he was a rather nasty piece of work.
Posted by: Whyaxye | Thursday, 02 August 2012 at 11:42
Yes, 'W', I hesitated to deploy the word 'nasty' but that is exactly the description that fits my conception of the man. I have entertained my doubts concerning the intelligence, or lack of it, on the part of the American electorate but they had the profound wisdom not to elect Vidal on the two occasions he offered himself.
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 02 August 2012 at 12:09
He was a good author, though. His historical novels are well worth reading.
Posted by: Odin's Raven | Thursday, 02 August 2012 at 12:16
Hmmmn, well, if you say so, 'OR', but alas he will have to take his place at the very bottom of my tottering pile of 'waiting-to-be-read' books!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 02 August 2012 at 12:22
I always hear that "Lincoln" is a good novel, but I never understood Historical Novels. Either they are accurate, in which case I'd rather read a History book, or they are not, in which case, why bother? I never liked that he called himself, America's Great Chronicler. If you have to say that about yourself, it probably isn't true.
And Myra Breckenridge is childish pornography.
Posted by: Dom | Thursday, 02 August 2012 at 16:02
"America's Great Chronicler". My God, the man obviously died of galloping pomposity!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 02 August 2012 at 17:55