Author Gore Vidal has died

**Seth82** · August 1st, 2012, 12:07 AM

Iconic Gay Author Gore Vidal Dies at 86

Groundbreaking gay author, screenwriter, and playwright Gore Vidal died Tuesday at age 86, as reported on his official website.

Vidal's legacy includes penning The City and the Pillar, one of the first mainstream American novels to feature overtly gay characters. He is commonly regarded as an important figure in LGBT representation and sexual liberation.

Throughout his career, he continued to incorporate gay themes. In the documentary The Celluloid Closet, Vidal admitted he had added overt homosexual subtext to his screenplay for Ben-Hur.

His other works include the novel Myra Breckenridge, his memoir Palimpsest, and the screenplays for Suddenly, Last Summer, Is Paris Burning, and Caligula. A revival of his play The Best Man is currently running on Broadway.

**MmeVertigina** · August 1st, 2012, 12:13 AM

Oh man

**HWBL** · August 1st, 2012, 03:02 AM

R.I.P. Mr. Vidal. I loved the story how he, the director and co-star Stephen Boyd were all in on his gay references in the Ben Hur script and lead actor Charlton Heston wasn't. He didn't have a clue and was not amused at all.

**Waterslide** · August 1st, 2012, 03:04 AM

Gore Vidal, you were a weird one. Thank you for it. Rest in peace, Gore Vidal

**mjw** · August 1st, 2012, 07:39 AM

Sad to hear this. I loved his books and he was quite the character. R.I.P. Gore

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**Brookie** · August 1st, 2012, 08:38 AM

Yeah, he was one of a kind. RIP man.

**BBDSP** · August 1st, 2012, 08:59 AM

R.I.P. Gore.

"Burr" is one of my favorite novels. I highly recommend it. You will never look at the founding fathers again in the same way. I still snicker whenever I see the statue of Washington on horseback in the public gardens.
ETA: His fight with William F Buckley was one of my favorite cultural moments of the 60s. Great to see two intelligent, witty, arrogant, but diametrically opposed minds go at each other. Very entertaining!

**witchcurlgirl** · August 1st, 2012, 10:52 AM

Gore would be quite annoyed by the title 'iconic gay author'. He frequently said and wrote that human beings were inherently bisexual, and that labels like gay or straight were arbitrary and unhelpful. It was a contentious issue between him and many gay advocates.

He wrote a brilliant piece on Timothy McVeigh, who he corresponded with:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/f.../mcveigh200109

**sputnik** · August 1st, 2012, 10:58 AM

this is so sad. i saw the news in a cab last night coming home after having quite a few drinks, and very nearly started crying. he was an incredible writer and character and will be missed.

**mjw** · August 1st, 2012, 11:12 AM

A dozen thoughts from Gore Vidal

Gore Vidal, the eclectic author who faithfully chronicled the major shifts and upheavals in the United States in books, essays and plays, has died. He was 86.

Here are a dozen of his best quotes, as gathered by The Gore Vidal Pages.

"Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies."

"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."

"I can understand companionship. I can understand bought sex in the afternoon, but I cannot understand the love affair."

"Never pass up a chance to have sex or appear on television."

"A narcissist is someone better looking than you are."

"Write something, even if it's just a suicide note."

"You know, I've been around the ruling class all my life, and I've been quite aware of their total contempt for the people of the country."

"I suspect that one of the reasons we create fiction is to make sex exciting."

"The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country - and we haven't seen them since."

"Every four years the naive half who vote are encouraged to believe that if we can elect a really nice man or woman president everything will be all right. But it won't be."

"The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so."

"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise."

A dozen thoughts from Gore Vidal – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

**jeri** · August 1st, 2012, 11:18 AM

RIP, he was one of my favorite authors.

**Seth82** · August 1st, 2012, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by HWBL

R.I.P. Mr. Vidal. I loved the story how he, the director and co-star Stephen Boyd were all in on his gay references in the Ben Hur script and lead actor Charlton Heston wasn't. He didn't have a clue and was not amused at all.

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