About
Gore Vidal, born Eugene Luther Gore Vidal Jr. in West Point, New York, was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. He wrote 25 novels, including the Narratives of Empire series, and notable works such as The City and the Pillar (1948), one of the first major American novels to openly address homosexuality, and Myra Breckinridge (1968), a satire on transsexuality and American culture. He won the National Book Award for essays in 1993 and received the National Book Foundation Medal in 2009. He also ran for political office and published two memoirs.
* 1925-10-03 — † 2012-07-28
Major works
- The City and the Pillar (1948)novel
- Myra Breckinridge (1968)novel
- Burr (1973)novel
- United States: Essays 1952–1992 (1993)essays
- Palimpsest (1995)memoir
Key milestones
- 1948Published The City and the Pillar, a pioneering novel about homosexuality.
- 1993Won the National Book Award for United States: Essays 1952–1992.
- 2009Received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Themes
Politics and powerAmerican historySexuality and identitySocial satireEmpire and decline
Sources: nationalbook.org · nationalbook.org · montgomery.dartmouth.edu