Product Description

Gore Vidal's new collection of essays shows him still writing at his finest. His comments on the deplorable state of American politics - from Bill Clinton to George Bush - are as apposite as ever and, controversially, there are two magnificent essays on the Oklahoma bomber Timothy Mc Veigh - who entered into an extraordinary correspondence with Vidal when he was in gaol - to the recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #159314 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
'The century's finest essayist' - The Spectator 'Vidal is the outstanding literary radical of America' - Melvyn Bragg 'A class act...a few hours in his company is still a panacea for all ills' - Independent on S. 'Vidal's combination of learning, wit and disdain gets into your blood. He can change the way you think' - Observer

About the Author
Gore Vidal is the author of 'The Narratives of a Golden Age' series as well as countless bestsellers.

Customer Reviews

Quite magnificent and 'outrageously' accurate.
I came to Vidal late in life and have read him critically but with an open mind. My principal reaction to these essays is anger, at the manner in which I have been deceived by politicians (not least the masters of the US) and at myself for my unthinking acceptance of the 'given' word on world politics. There is, of course, an opposing point of view but I recommend this book to any thinking person with an interest in the state of the world today.

Lose yourself with Gore Vidal
In this latest offering, Vidal displays again his unique style and the enormity of his range. Included are appreciations of Edmund Wilson, Frank Sinatra and Mark Twain and observations on Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, JFK and Vidal's cousin Al Gore. He also discusses the American empire and the September 11 attacks. Nobody can surpass Vidal cutting observations. A really class act - a few hours in his company is still a cure for all ills.

American Nightmares
Eloquently understated essays on the violence, weirdness and hypocrisy in America: Vidal writes of McVeigh, American foreign policy, Frank Sinatra, with verve and precision. He has a historian's eye for the seam between the Disneyfied 'news' on tv, and the grubby manoeuvres of Dubya & his ilk.