This is the fifth in a series highlighting the best gay and lesbian authors from the 20th century (with a few before and after that period) who have recorded in fiction, and nonfiction, the history of gay people telling what life is, and was, during an important time of history. The series is aimed to show the newer gay generations what came before and how these writers helped them to have it so much better. It is also aimed at nongay people who will hopefully understand why gay people deserve the rights that nongay people have. Aside from having historic value they all are great reading!



When he was young he was desired by all and now he is considered an 'elder statesman'. He has always been known, and wanted , by the rich and famous and has always been in midst of firestorms and public feuds. He wrote a gay best selling shocking book when in his twenties though he always hated the word gay and seems to always have a best selling book on the New York Times. He has made political enemies of the most powerful but always comes out on top. He has had a long time partner for many years but doesn't see himself as a homosexual. He has had hits on Broadway and wrote the book that was made into a film starring Raquel Welsh and Mae West. He is a much loved and respected cumudgeon.





Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (pronounced /ˌɡɔər vɨˈdɑːl/ or /vɨˈdæl/ ; born October 3, 1925) is an American author , playwright , essayist , screenwriter and political activist . Early in his career he wrote The City and the Pillar (1948), which outraged mainstream critics asoneof the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality . He subsequently emerged as one of America's more important literary figures due to the enormous quantity and quality of work produced over the course of his career, including novels, essays, plays, and short stories covering a wide variety of topics and eras. He also ran for political office twice and served as a longtime political critic.

Just one of his famous feuds:





Vidal versus Buckley
In 1968, ABC News invited Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. to be political analysts of the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions.[ 53] Verbal and nearly physical combat ensued. After days of mutual bickering, their debates devolved to vitriolic, ad hominem attacks. During discussions of the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests , the men were arguing about freedom of speech in regards to American protesters displaying a VietCong flag when Vidal told Buckley to "shut up a minute" and, in response to Buckley's reference to "pro-Nazi" protesters, went on to say "As far as I'm concerned, the only sort of pro-crypto-Nazi I can think of is yourself." The visibly livid Buckley replied, "Now listen, you queer. Stop calling me a crypto-Nazi, or I'll sock you in the goddamn face and you'll stay plastered." After an interruption by anchor and facilitator Howard K. Smith , the men continued to discuss the topic in a less hostile manner.

Later, in 1969, the feud was continued as Buckley further attacked Vidal in the lengthy essay, "On Experiencing Gore Vidal", published in the August 1969 issue of Esquire . The essay is collected in The Governor Listeth , an anthology of Buckley's writings of the time. In a key passage attacking Vidal as an apologist for homosexuality, Buckley wrote, "The man who in his essays proclaims the normalcy of his affliction [i.e., homosexuality], and in his art the desirability of it, is not to be confused with the man who bears his sorrow quietly. The addict is to be pitied and even respected, not the pusher."

Vidal responded in the September 1969 issue of Esquire , variously characterizing Buckley as "anti-black", "anti-semitic ", and a "warmonger". The presiding judge in Buckley's subsequent libel suit against Vidal initially concluded that "[t]he court must conclude that Vidal's comments in these paragraphs meet the minimal standard of fair comment . The inferences made by Vidal from Buckley's [earlier editorial] statements cannot be said to be completely unreasonable." However, Vidal also strongly implied that, in 1944, Buckley and unnamed siblings had vandalized a Protestant church in their Sharon, Connecticut , hometown after the pastor's wife hadsolda house to a Jewish family. Buckley sued Vidal and Esquire for libel. Vidal counter-claimed for libel against Buckley, citing Buckley's characterization of Vidal's novel Myra Breckinridge as pornography .

The court dismissed Vidal's counter-claim; Buckley settled for $115,000 in attorney's fees and an editorial statement from Esquire magazine that they were "utterly convinced" of the untruthfulness of Vidal's assertion. However, in a letter to Newsweek , the Esquire publisher stated that "the settlement of Buckley's suit against us" was not "a 'disavowal' of Vidal's article. On the contrary, it clearly states that we published that article because we believed that Vidal had a right to assert his opinions, even though we did not share them."

As Vidal's biographer, Fred Kaplan, later commented, "The court had 'not' sustained Buckley's case against Esquire ... [t]he court had 'not' ruled that Vidal's article was 'defamatory.' It had ruled that the case would have to go to trial in order to determine as a matter of fact whether or not it was defamatory. [italics original.] The cash value of the settlement with Esquire represented 'only' Buckley's legal expenses [not damages based on libel]... " Ultimately, Vidal bore the cost of his own attorney's fees, estimated at $75,000.

In 2003, this affair re-surfaced when Esquire published Esquire's Big Book of Great Writing , an anthology that included Vidal's essay. Buckley again sued for libel, and Esquire again settled for $55,000 in attorney's fees and $10,000 in personal damages to Buckley.

After Buckley's death on February 27, 2008, Vidal summed up his impressions of his rival with the following obituary on March 20, 2008: "RIP WFB—in hell." In a June 15, 2008, interview with the New York Times , Vidal was asked by Deborah Solomon, "How did you feel when you heard that Buckley died this year?" Vidal responded:

I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred.


Criticism of the George W. Bush administration
Vidal was strongly critical of the George W. Bush administration , listing it among administrations he considered to have either an explicit or implicit expansionist agenda. He has described George W. Bush as "the stupidest man in the United States".

He is of the view that for several years the Bush administration and their associates have aimed to control the petroleum of Central Asia (after gaining effective control of the petroleum of the Persian Gulf in 1991). In October 2006, Vidal derided NORAD for what he claims is a conspiracy against the US public having been perpetrated by an alliance of the US Air Force and the government of Canada at the time.[ 61]

In May 2007, Vidal clarified his views, saying:

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, I'm a conspiracy analyst. Everything the Bushites touch is screwed up. They could never have pulled off 9/11, even if they wanted to. Even if they longed to. They could step aside, though, or just go out to lunch while these terrible things were happening to the nation. I believe that of them.


There is so much more to read about this man such as all the wealth of material he had had published, the many awards,political views and activities, his involvement with acting and popular culture, his memoirs and personal life just to mention a few subjects---check out a lot more about him at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore_Vidal