Palimpsest by gore vidal

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

I learned that Gore Vidal liked John Kennedy, but was not a fan of Bobby. I also learned quite a bit about Tennessee Williams; a little about Truman Capote; and quite a bit about what he thought of Jackie O. He also talks at length about people most people have no interest in; but it turns out they do make for interesting stories, sometimes. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it, if you are interested in reading about Gore's experiences and stories about other writers (Kerouac, Burroughs, and the previously mentioned writers too). Also, it helps to have an interest in politics.

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Emcio0828

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

I have always really liked Gore Vidal's historical fiction ("Burr" is one of my particular favorites, as well as the followup "1876") and I knew he had a reputation for being kind of an asshole in real life, but in this book he doesn't come off so much an asshole as he does cold, distant, and disaffected. The many anecdotes relayed in this memoir were amusing enough, I guess, and if it was Vidal's mission to make his life seem decadent and glamorous he surely succeeded. I just wish there would have been more about his creative process, his spirit, his soul. I wanted an insight into the secret struggles of a great writer, not the same old celebrity glamor tales I can get any old where.

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hgspan

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

I read this memoir when it first came out....and find that a 2nd time around makes it even MORE pleasurable.

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nij1030

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Hard to get through, pretty boring in places ,the early part about mother, father and grandparents are ok. But then we come to the celebrities and it descends in a rather spiteful gossip trivia , gore comes out of it like a shining beacon (i don,t think). Having read the book it failed miserably for me to enjoy it, so its a not winner for me so therefore two stars.

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NotNiceNerd

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

Early in the book Gore Vidal makes the point that this is not an autobiography; it's a memoir. Too many autobiographies read like an excuse for the author’s failings and a platform for their supposed triumphs, as though they are getting their two cents in before someone else gives the final accounting. Vidal offers no excuses, even admitting in the beginning that he chose the title, and later realized he had been mispronouncing the word for years, and didn’t fully understand the origin of its meaning.

In Palimpsest he plays with time like a magician, deftly moving from one place to another, never losing the reader, an uncommon fluidity where most memoirs follow a strictly age based progression. There was no prose for prose sake, or lyrics over substance, yet his writing draws the reader in as though you were spending an evening listening to incisively funny repartee. He had me chuckling in the first few pages. Essentially, he’s the guy at a cocktail party you’d most like to spend the evening with.

He has an almost clinical insight into people and it doesn’t hurt that he’s known some of the icons of his age. His slant on Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Jackie Onassis (they shared a stepfather) and countless other characters of his time are priceless. There is no lack of dysfunctional family dynamics, either. Though he doesn’t use his upbringing as anything more than a travelogue of how he got where he is. He continues to be the most erudite voice of the anti-establishment. You can catch vintage Vidal on YouTube sparring with William F. Buckley on a sixties talking head show in a game of wordsmanship.

For all his wittiness and fascinating stories, the real value is that his memoirs chronicle how his life as a writer evolved. At a critical juncture early in his career, he decided to go ahead with the publication of his third novel, The City and the Pillar, over the objections of his agent. It contained overt homosexual overtones and true to form, the publishing industry blackballed him for the content. That he chose truth over conformity, and the commercial success that comes with it, was a defining moment. It seems the writers who only give their audience exactly what’s expected end up being trapped by their success.

His decision led to Hollywood and Broadway, experiences that ultimately made up for the early rejection. It is what allowed him the freedom to produce a wide range of work, from Myra Breckenridge (a one finger salute to the entertainment industry), to Visit to a Small Planet, and historical fiction, Lincoln, being his most famous.

Palimpsest is a gift from Vidal. He shared the essence of who he is with clarity, style and honesty. Isn’t that what art is all about?

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gabii

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 26,2025

This book took me quite a while, for me, to read. Get ready to rev up the Google box for quick identification of people, places and incidents. Mr. Vidal is not flowery or wordy. Why write a paragraph when you can have succinct sentences where every word had meaning. This memoir is set in periods and topics. 1/3 of the book is based on the topic of family. Who, when, where are all divulged and is fascinating. My favorite part is the topics of other authors, and gossip. This comes later in the volume and I wished I had read it first.

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