So long, Gore Vidal
Whenever you hear the news that someone whom you have long admired has passed away you think immediately about how they have affected your life. At least I do.
I was a teenager when I first read Gore Vidal’s novel, The City and the Pillar. Published in 1946 it’s a story of a young man who struggles with his sexuality in a post-World War II society.
The protagonist was controversial at the time because he was well-adjusted and was not killed off at the end of the story, as was the norm with gay characters at the time. It was long believed by publishers and movie-goers that audiences wanted gay characters to be punished for their immoral behaviour.
The book stood out for another reason though, and that was due to its frank and unambiguous representation of homosexuality. The mere utterance of the words “gay” or “homosexual” was taboo in those days. Gore Vidal didn’t care, and that made him a brave man.
So when I think about Vidal, who died at the age of 86 yesterday, I remember reading The City and the Pillar. I was young, alone, isolated and in dire need for material that spoke to what I was experiencing at that time in my life. Along came this book, and my heart forever belonged to Gore Vidal.
Rest in peace.
I possess great compassion and seek to be of service to others. 
That is a beautiful tribute to Vidal.
Thank you. I will miss him.
Thank you for writing this. I’ve been looking at WP blogs today, after writing my own tribute, and what you’ve written is one of the few personal tributes that doesn’t either take a back-handed swipe at the man or otherwise ignores what he meant to his readers.
I hope too he does have peace now.
I’m not an academic, nor do I pretend to know anything about literature. I only know what it is that he meant to me, and it was a lot. Oh yeah, thank you for the comment, I appreciate it very much.
What a touching tribute to a wonderful writer. Thank you for sharing how he influenced your life. He will be missed. I’ll be sure to read one of his novels as my next book.
My pleasure. Thanks for commenting. And I hope you like whatever book you choose!