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/lit/ - Literature

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13811418 No.13811418 [Reply] [Original]

Have any of you read his work? Thoughts on pic related?

>> No.13811428

>>13811418
He thought Calvino was the only relevant writer of the 20th century. Not sure if I agree or disagree but it seems like a pretty bold statement. Like of all people. Calvino? Really?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd3hGhv861Q

>> No.13811508
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13811508

>>13811418
>He and buckley both have cool accents
> his books are a slog
> wanted to be president & failed
> a reverse peter hitchens
>9edgy12345me

>> No.13811634

>>13811418
I read one of his books, Julian.
The last pagan Emperor of the Byzantine Empire before it went full Christian.
I rather enjoyed it, but I kept on unfairly comparing it's enjoyability to Robert Graves I, Claudius.

>> No.13812625

>>13811418
Great stuff

>> No.13812738

>>13811418
obviously he's a very left wing thinker so if you are lefty you will like it more. politics aside he's a competent writer. some of his essays are good and well written even if they are wrong. give him points for being an iconoclast for his era.

in the current enviroment he's just more of the same. since the left took over the culture he's nothing more than establishment so really not worth reading since it's the same thing everywhere you look.

myra breckenridge is funny. never read his historical novels though.

>> No.13812750

>>13812738
>since the left took over the culture he's nothing more than establishment
That was the 30s through the 60s. This is a rightwing nation now (though the masses are aching to go left again)

>> No.13812759 [DELETED] 

>>13811418
Jewish, hard pass.

>> No.13812779 [SPOILER] 
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13812779

>>13811418
Just like Stephen Fry, overly verbose with nothing good to say. Lived a long life but acquired little or no wisdom at all. Was ruled by his passions and enslaved by vice to the last day.
Sad.
Nothing of value was lost when he died.

>> No.13812781

>>13812759
Rubbish. Baptized as a Lutheran

>> No.13812992

one of the best prose stylists of the late 20'th century, who in his hay day wrote some truly excellent books. Ruined in his later Years, first by alcohol and then some form of dementia.

He kept on functioning and even getting trotted out on television appearances , usually to humiliating result's, and i'd venture to say that it was ruinous to his reputation. Most people know him as the cantankerous crazy old man that that became.

>> No.13812997

>>13811418
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzXJ9bzr4zE

>> No.13813011

Where do I start with him?

>> No.13813019

>>13812738
Vidal is still an iconoclast. For instance his anti-Federal/anti-Union take on the Civil War.

>> No.13813265

>>13812738
Vidal's takes on literary criticism would not really fly well in the contemporary leftist circles.

>> No.13813580

>>13811418
I really enjoy his work, especially Julian.

>>13811428
I think he was just trying to push Calvino.

>>13812738
>obviously he's a very left wing thinker
While he was, he did not tolerate ideological bullshit for the most part. He would turn on his own in a heart beat when they pandered, we need more of that. He did not tolerate fools and when someone used fluff to back up their argument he called them on it and sometimes even made their point in a sane way, even if they were ideologically opposed to him. I miss him. I do enjoy watching old interviews with him in his prime.

>> No.13813676

I really want to listen/watch interviews with him right now but I am at the house in the woods where internet is slow. There is one that I think is with the BBC World book club where he completely shames the interviewer for throwing him a softball ideological question and when it goes to audience questions you hear the absolute fear in the voices of the audience despite most of the questions coming from university professors at the top of their field. The interviewer, forget his name, is pretty good despite his attempt at pandering, he takes the schooling Vidal gives him in stride and the rest of the interview is quite good.

>> No.13813752

>>13813676
Avoid any post 2000 interviews. He went batty in the end and trotting him out on television at that point was elder abuse .

>> No.13813967

I've read only Julian and enjoyed it a lot.

>> No.13814260

People who enjoyed Julian should try Creation too. A little too long but still quality /his/fic about the GrecoPersian wars and development if major religions. In typical contrarian Vidal fashion the narrator is a cantankerous Persian who shits on the Greeks at every opportunity. Fun as hell.

>> No.13815206
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13815206

>>13812750
BAIT

>> No.13815220
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13815220

Like all Chads I read Buckley instead

>> No.13815346

>>13812750
>Literally the opposite of the truth
Leftism is done. They had their lips busted up hard enough in the 90s.

"The Masses" are also increasingly 80 IQ Hispanics. The only thing they want is for the State to be corrupt enough that they feel comfortable being the slaves that they actually are.

>> No.13815683

>>13815206
>muh victim complex

>>13815346
Wishful thinking, anon. But you don’t understand what leftism is.

>> No.13815713

He wrote some historical fiction where Lincoln is a character. I forget the title. Is that any good?