Vidal, Gore (Vol. 6) - Vidal, Gore 1925–
Vidal, Gore 1925–
Vidal, an American novelist, playwright, critic, and essayist concerned with topical political, social, and moral issues, is noted for his wit, his intelligence, and his cynicism. Among his well known works are Washington, D.C. and Myra Breckinridge. He has also written detective stories under the pseudonym Edgar Box. (See also Contemporary Authors, (Vols. 5-8, rev. ed.)
Myra Breckinridge (1968) was a comedy in a completely classic mode. It presented, gave itself over to, a character who was funny because of her steam-roller way of thinking (with rhetoric to match) and because both she and Vidal had the necessary—brazen and remorseless—courage of her convictions. It's an ancient formula, logical consistency followed without deviation to logical but absurd conclusion, and when done right guaranteed to work: it's the flame that burns inside a Dogberry or a Ted Baxter or a Myra B., consuming them,...
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