Gore Vidal died today. While he may have led an unconventional life and wasn’t one to keep his usually contrarian opinions to himself, I’ve always been sympathetic to his skepticism about modern elites and American empire. I most appreciated his novel Julian. Though I don’t think the writing was top-notch in literary terms, the ideas and historical themes he explores are deeply fascinating. I like to flatter myself that Julian and The Last Stoic are kindred spirits, at least in terms of intent and underpinning. Now, I’m looking forward to getting a copy of his novel Lincoln which is even more well-regarded (despite this, I can’t find it in our local library). From what I understand, it is not just a bit of hero worship. It gets quite warty.
Gore Vidal dies
Posted on Aug 1, 2012 | 0 comments