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Gore Vidal

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description Gore Vidal Overview

Gore Vidal (1925–2012) was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, and public intellectual known for his erudition and combative public persona. His sequence of historical novels on American politics includes 'Burr' (1973) and 'Lincoln' (1984), both of which reexamine national history through revisionist perspectives. He also wrote the satirical novel 'Myra Breckinridge' (1968). Vidal was a prolific essayist and ran for political office twice, in 1960 and 1982.

help Gore Vidal FAQ

What is Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire series about?

Narratives of Empire is a series of seven historical novels by Gore Vidal that chronicle the history of the United States. The most famous entry in the series is Burr, published in 1973, which offers a revisionist look at Aaron Burr.

What is the premise of Gore Vidal's controversial novel Myra Breckinridge?

Published in 1968, Myra Breckinridge follows a transgender woman who attempts to infiltrate Hollywood and subvert traditional American gender roles. The novel was highly transgressive for its time and was later adapted into an infamous 1970 film.

Did Gore Vidal write the screenplay for the film Ben-Hur?

Gore Vidal was an uncredited screenwriter on the 1959 classic Ben-Hur. He famously claimed to have inserted a secret homoerotic subtext into the interactions between Judah Ben-Hur and Messala.

What famous on-air feud did Gore Vidal have during the 1968 political conventions?

During ABC News' coverage of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Vidal and conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr. engaged in a famously bitter, live-television argument. The two famously traded insults, leading to years of subsequent lawsuits and public animosity.