Gore Vidal and Lincoln

One of my favorite experiences is discovering an artist/writer, who is already a giant in their field. I love realizing, after reading a book or hearing an album, how much more of their work I can still explore. Let me tell you; I have hit the jackpot. Over the years, I have learned to read as many Gore Vidal essays or articles on the Iraq war that I could get my hands on. His work is always erudite, accurate, and emotional without being melodramatic.

His name has always been on the top of my list of authors to checkout when at the bookstore, but like all to-do subjects he seems to always be forgotten, until a few months ago when I finally sauntered to the V section and realized what a prolific writer he is.

Without further introduction let me say that I have boarded the Gore Vidal train, and I do not see myself dismounting until I have read everything this man has ever written, and that is no small feat. Vidal has written twenty-two novels, five plays, many screenplays, short stories, well over two hundred essays, and two memoirs.

For this post, I would like to focus on the first book I read from his Narratives of Empire series: Lincoln. I picked Lincoln because it seemed like a fascinating read, not realizing that it is the second in the Narrative of Empire series. I have since done some research and realized that the complete list looks like this; Burr, Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Hollywood, Washington D.C. and the Golden Age. These books span the history of America from the Revolutionary War to post WWII America.

I have not been this affected by a writer since first reading Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. In short, Vidal’s Lincoln is a masterpiece. This book is not only for people interested in politics or history, although his account of the Civil War and the men who orchestrated it is sublime; this book is for anyone interested in understanding the human experience through literature.

At six hundred and sixty seven pages the narrative may appear daunting, but because of the near cinematic accuracy of the prose, each scene keeps the reader glued to the action. With the balanced and objective eye of reporter, Vidal moves us through the lives and minds of some of the most famous names in American history. Not only are we introduced to a more complicated Lincoln than any text book has even had the courage to illustrate, but we are also shown that the men in our history books are not infallible statues or saints, but rather that men prone to politics and power are just like the men who sit in the White House today.

By bringing history to life through fiction, Vidal reminds us that power and politics are timeless. The struggles of men for ideas like freedom when faced with capitalistic greed, know no century. The similarities between Lincoln and George Bush for example are startling. Lincoln was the first president to suspend Heabus Corpus in order to keep the Union intact. He also arrested newspaper editors and closed down their establishments if they were pro-confederacy. Sounds a lot like the Patriot Act.

I will not get into the details of the history, but I will say that immediately after finishing it, I ran to the store and bought Burr. I plan to read every single book in the series in succession. That is how good they are. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is as close to perfect as I have ever seen when it comes to fiction.

I hope to write a more complete post on my thoughts on historic fiction after reading more of the series. It is a genre that I am just discovering, and while at first I was always questioning what was “true” and what Vidal had made up, I began to wonder why I never asked myself the same question of textbook authors. I have always felt that there is no such thing as non-fiction. Men write history and so historic fiction is not made-up, it is simply history brought to life.

The City and the Pillar- A Review

I have read a lot of Gore Vidal. I am not being hyperbolic when I say I love him. He has got to be one of the best writers of the twentieth century. A few months ago, I finished Palimpsest: A Memoir and Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir, in which he wrote at length about The City and the Pillar...(wikipedia)

...written in 1946 and published on January 10, 1948. The story is about a young man who is coming of age and discovers his own homosexuality.

The City and the Pillar is significant because it is recognized as the first post-World War II novel whose openly gay and well-adjusted protagonist is not killed off at the end of the story for defying social norms. It is also recognized as one of the "definitive war-influenced gay novels", being one of the few books of its period dealing directly with male homosexuality. In addition, it was among the few gay novels reprinted in inexpensive paperback form as early as the 1950s.

I knew I had to read it. Publishing this book in 1948 was all but suicide for Vidal, not only in terms of his writing career, but also for his political ambitions. He was advised never to publish such an overtly homoerotic book, “An editor at EP Dutton said to Vidal, "You will never be forgiven for this book. Twenty years from now you will still be attacked for it." But publish it he did.

The novel itself is nothing special, but the themes he exposes were, and unfortunately still are, groundbreaking.

One major theme is the portrayal of the homosexual man as both normal and masculine. Gore set out to break the mold of novels that up until The City and the Pillar depicted homosexuals as transvestites, lonely bookish boys, or feminine. Gore purposefully makes his protagonist a strong athlete to challenge superstitions, stereotypes, and prejudices about sex in the United States. To further this theme Vidal wrote the novel in plain, objective prose in order to convey and document reality.

One can’t help but admire Vidal’s strength and courage. This book surely opened doors for the entire Beat Generation, Harvey Milk, and others struggling to be gay and normal in America. The City and the Pillar is a timeless novel as the world comes to terms with what it means not only to be gay, but also for what it means to be a man. It is a shame that this book is not read and discussed more in schools, where it would surely help many young men pass the terribly difficult and painful experience of becoming men.

More Gore

Gore Vidal has consumed my life. I recently wrote about reading his novel, Lincoln and how I am planning to read his entire Narratives of Empire series. Well, I just finished Burr and words cannot begin to describe how great it was. I understand that as a writer/blogger the previous statement is a cop-out and I should be using words to describe it, but I am running low on inspiration and time these to write, so I will just say that Gore Vidal has been catapulted to my top five writers. His voice and style are beyond anything I have ever read. If you appreciate literature and history you must read his work. Be cautious though, once you start with Burr, it will be nearly impossible to stop.

I am about fifty pages into 1876, the third installment of the series and every page is still as captivating as the first. This work is genius. I wish I had more time to get into burr, but I will leave the overall analysis of this series when I finish it, at this rate in a month or two. Till then I am off to read 1876. This is what I prefer to do every free second I have in the day.

Books, Books, and More Books

I just got back from the bookstore with my summer reading list. While some of these books will be put into my shipment to Doha and will not be read until August, I plan on taking a few of them with me as I travel this summer. Needless to say, I plan on adding a few titles to the list in NYC:

Bertrand Russell- The History of Western Philosophy
Gore Vidal- Lincoln
Gore Vidal- The Golden Age
Jean-Jacques Rousseau- The Social Contract
Kurt Vonnegut- Palm Sunday
Kurt Vonnegut- Galapagos

I think I may start with Lincoln, although I now realize that the novel is the third in a series of works called the Narratives of Empire…stay tuned for the review! Oh and by the way, I have crossed the 10,000 hits mark. I know that 10,000 is not that high of a number considering how long this blog has been around, but it is certainly higher than the zero people who were reading when I started. I want to thank you if you are a regular reader, and invite you back if you just stopped by. I hope to try and expand my readership further next year, time permitting of course!

Book Review: Slaughter House Five

I have been very busy with the end of school year approaching. Add to that the fact that I will be moving my entire life to a new country soon, and you will understand why I didn’t write my book review, immediately after I finished it sometime last week. The supportive and observant reader out there would say, “Firstly, at least you are reading a book a week despite your hectic schedule, and secondly at least you are getting to the review now!” And to that reader, I say, “Yes! Thank you! You are right.” Let’s get on with it!

Every once in a while, usually after much procrastination, we finally begin to explore an artist that we have heard of but never read. Each person’s lists depends on how committed they are to reading what I like to call the “Biggies.” Gore Vidal, for example, is currently on the top of my list. I cannot believe I have never read anything by him. I fumbled through his book Lincoln a few weeks ago, and I think it will be purchased this weekend and put in my cue, because I am tired of Mr. Vidal being on my list of authors I should have, but never read.

Where am I going with this? A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend and he mentioned that Kurt Vonnegut had just died. Of course I had heard the name, but I had never read any of his books. For some reason, I thought he was a Ray Bradbury style Sci-Fi writer. It probably has something to do with the name, Slaughter House Five. Don’t ask; I don’t know why. After feeling outted and embarrassed by my friend for never having read Vonnegut, he shot to the top of my list.

I flipped through a few of his titles the next time I was at the bookstore, and I was shocked to see that Vonnegut was a funny, sixties, post-modern, anti-war, social commentator. Apparently he is like Tom Robbins and Hunter S. Thompson’s love child. I picked up Slaughter House Five and I haven’t looked back since.

Slaughter House Five is one of the top ten books I have ever red. I have made a vow that I will read everything Vonnegut has ever written. I made this same vow about Mailer after I read The Executioner Song, and I am inching along. He has written something like fifty books, but I did finish the Henry Miller catalogue years ago, yes I even read Quite Days in Clichy and Black Spring. My point? I keep my vows!

Slaughter House Five is a tragically funny, profound, absurd look at one of the most devastating and illogical phenomena in our world: War. WWII to be more specific, the bombing of Dresden to be exact. The structure of this narrative still feels fresh even after thirty-six years! The language is tight and precise; the characters are terribly laughable, and the message is vital.

I will not go further into detail. I am sure you have all heard of Slaughter House Five. If you have never read it, I urge you to read it as soon as you can. It is a one of a kind and a very important book, especially these days when we are in a state of the never-ending war on terror. I shake my head every time I write that ridiculous phrase.

As always here are a few of my favorite lines:

There isn’t any particular relationship between all the messages, except that the author has chosen them carefully, so that, when seen all at once, they produce an image of life that is beautiful and surprising and deep. There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at once.

I have told my sons that they are not under any circumstances to take part in massacres, and that the news of massacres of enemies is not to fill them with satisfaction or glee.

The news of the day, meanwhile, was being written in a ribbon of light on a building to Billy’s back. The window reflected the news. It was about power, sports an danger and death. So it goes…

Vidal Madness

For anyone out there keeping track, I am still in the middle of reading Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire. I just finished Empire, which is the fourth book in the set of seven. I am at the mercy of Amazon getting me Hollywood in a timely manner. There will be a review of the entire series when completed.

Time Has Leapt From The Clocks

It would be impossible to sit out here without the cloud cover. It is 91 degrees just like it has been everyday I have been in this country. Almost two years now. My pale skin is turning pink; in a few days it should bronze. The pool is still. There is no one here but us. The screaming of children done elsewhere. The Chinese New Year holiday has begun. The city is empty. Time has leapt from the clocks and is not as cumbersome to carry.

I dog-ear my book every ten minutes or so to douse the fire on my skin. Water drips from my chest and fingertips, causing the bottom and tips of the pages to become wet. I lower my book to allow my thoughts to occasionally align and maybe form a complete idea:

Earlier, I read a great article by Gore Vidal, denouncing the current US administration. It made a lot of sense to me and was eloquently written. I wanted to send it out to as many people as I could, but I accepted that there wouldn’t be much of a point. What would one more deleted article in my friends’ inboxes accomplish?

In the water now, my eyes are open and they do not sting. The sounds are muted and soft. I close my eyes and assume the fetal position. Is this what it is like for you? I can’t wait to show how much more there is and for you to show me how much less. I kick to the surface, roll over and float on my back. The sun burns my chest before a cloud makes the equatorial heat bearable. My wife sits in the shallow end of the pool reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s. We spent several hours at the bookstore yesterday, loading up on literature for the next few weeks. I lackadaisically scanned the shelves. Sometimes sitting down with a book to feel the pages, read the first lines, decide if it would be worth my time to start a relationship. I found three suitors: The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing by Norman Mailer, Music for Chameleons by Truman Capote (If I can’t get my hands on the movie, I certainly can connect with his work.) The Age of Reason by J.P Sartre (I like the idea of being the type of person who reads Sartre.) And finally Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, the book I will begin tonight on the advice of a friend I trust more than myself.

As I am floating in the water, I think about what I will write later. Nothing seems important enough to warrant documentation. I am empty of angst and indignation. Writing about ease, happiness, and satisfaction feels boastful. Who wants to read about people who wake up with smiles on their faces determined to simply enjoy a cheese sandwich on lightly toasted bread with lightly salted tomatoes and pickles, before they fall asleep reading on the sofa.

Probably no one, but I feel the need to write it down, just in case someone, somewhere, sometime may be interested.