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Interesting characters. Short stories.
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Clouds and Eclipses: The Collected Short Stories
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Celebrated for more than fifty years as a world-renowned novelist, essayist, and political figure and commentator, Gore Vidal is less known for the exquisitely crafted short fiction he wrote as a young man. Like the work of Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, his stories have been overshadowed by the author's triumphs writing in other genres. Still, Vidal's short fiction offers us a portrait of the young artist in the 1940s and 1950s. His subtle and comic tales often center on adolescence and homosexual themes. In Three Stratagems, a middle-aged gay man encounters a male prostitute while vacationing in Key West. In The Zenner Trophy, the star athlete at an elite boys school is expelled for sexual relations with a classmate. These stories were gathered along with five others into a 1956 volume, A Thirsty Evil, and for decades were thought to comprise Vidal's complete short fiction.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 28,2006
This edition
- Format
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160 pages, Paperback
- Published
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August 10, 2006 by Da Capo Press
- ISBN
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9780786718108
- ASIN
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0786718102
- Language
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English
About the author
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Works of American writer Eugene Luther Gore Vidal, noted for his cynical humor and his numerous accounts of society in decline, include the play The Best Man (1960) and the novel Myra Breckinridge (1968) .
People know his essays, screenplays, and Broadway.
They also knew his patrician manner, transatlantic accent, and witty aphorisms. Vidal came from a distinguished political lineage; his grandfather was the senator Thomas Gore, and he later became a relation (through marriage) to Jacqueline Kennedy.
Vidal, a longtime political critic, ran twice for political office. He was a lifelong isolationist Democrat. The Nation, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Review of Books, and Esquire published his essays.
Essays and media appearances long criticized foreign policy. In addition, he from the 1980s onwards characterized the United States as a decaying empire. Additionally, he was known for his well publicized spats with such figures as Norman Mailer, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Truman Capote.
They fell into distinct social and historical camps. Alongside his social, his best known historical include Julian, Burr, and Lincoln. His third novel, The City and the Pillar (1948), outraged conservative critics as the first major feature of unambiguous homosexuality.
At the time of his death he was the last of a generation of American writers who had served during World War II, including J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer and Joseph Heller. Perhaps best remembered for his caustic wit, he referred to himself as a "gentleman bitch" and has been described as the 20th century's answer to Oscar Wilde
Also used the pseudonym Edgar Box.
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Gore Vidal é um dos nomes centrais na história da literatura americana pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Nascido em 1925, em Nova Iorque, estudou na Academia de Phillips Exeter (Estado de New Hampshire). O seu primeiro romance, Williwaw (1946), era uma história da guerra claramente influenciada pelo estilo de Hemingway. Embora grande parte da sua obra tenha a ver com o século XX americano, Vidal debruçou-se várias vezes sobre épocas recuadas, como, por exemplo, em A Search for the King (1950), Juliano (1964) e Creation (1981).
Entre os seus temas de eleição está o mundo do cinema e, mais concretamente, os bastidores de Hollywood, que ele desmonta de forma satírica e implacável em títulos como Myra Breckinridge (1968), Myron (1975) e Duluth (1983).
Senhor de um estilo exuberante, multifacetado e sempre surpreendente, publicou, em 1995, a autobiografia Palimpsest: A Memoir. As obras 'O Instituto Smithsonian' e 'A Idade do Ouro' encontram-se traduzidas em português.
Neto do senador Thomas Gore, enteado do padrasto de Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, primo distante de Al Gore, Gore Vidal sempre se revelou um espelho crítico das grandezas e misérias dos EUA.
Faleceu a 31 de julho de 2012, aos 86 anos, na sua casa em Hollywood, vítima de pneumonia.
People know his essays, screenplays, and Broadway.
They also knew his patrician manner, transatlantic accent, and witty aphorisms. Vidal came from a distinguished political lineage; his grandfather was the senator Thomas Gore, and he later became a relation (through marriage) to Jacqueline Kennedy.
Vidal, a longtime political critic, ran twice for political office. He was a lifelong isolationist Democrat. The Nation, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Review of Books, and Esquire published his essays.
Essays and media appearances long criticized foreign policy. In addition, he from the 1980s onwards characterized the United States as a decaying empire. Additionally, he was known for his well publicized spats with such figures as Norman Mailer, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Truman Capote.
They fell into distinct social and historical camps. Alongside his social, his best known historical include Julian, Burr, and Lincoln. His third novel, The City and the Pillar (1948), outraged conservative critics as the first major feature of unambiguous homosexuality.
At the time of his death he was the last of a generation of American writers who had served during World War II, including J.D. Salinger, Kurt Vonnegut, Norman Mailer and Joseph Heller. Perhaps best remembered for his caustic wit, he referred to himself as a "gentleman bitch" and has been described as the 20th century's answer to Oscar Wilde
Also used the pseudonym Edgar Box.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Gore Vidal é um dos nomes centrais na história da literatura americana pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Nascido em 1925, em Nova Iorque, estudou na Academia de Phillips Exeter (Estado de New Hampshire). O seu primeiro romance, Williwaw (1946), era uma história da guerra claramente influenciada pelo estilo de Hemingway. Embora grande parte da sua obra tenha a ver com o século XX americano, Vidal debruçou-se várias vezes sobre épocas recuadas, como, por exemplo, em A Search for the King (1950), Juliano (1964) e Creation (1981).
Entre os seus temas de eleição está o mundo do cinema e, mais concretamente, os bastidores de Hollywood, que ele desmonta de forma satírica e implacável em títulos como Myra Breckinridge (1968), Myron (1975) e Duluth (1983).
Senhor de um estilo exuberante, multifacetado e sempre surpreendente, publicou, em 1995, a autobiografia Palimpsest: A Memoir. As obras 'O Instituto Smithsonian' e 'A Idade do Ouro' encontram-se traduzidas em português.
Neto do senador Thomas Gore, enteado do padrasto de Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, primo distante de Al Gore, Gore Vidal sempre se revelou um espelho crítico das grandezas e misérias dos EUA.
Faleceu a 31 de julho de 2012, aos 86 anos, na sua casa em Hollywood, vítima de pneumonia.
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Fiction A-Z Book "V": Clouds and Eclipses by Gore Vidal
This is my first experience with Vidal, and I think I'd be interested in going on to his longer fiction. There's a coldness in regard to character in some of the stories that I found off-putting, but Vidal has a definite style that I liked overall. The stories range in tone and type, and it's interesting to see the hints toward questions of sexuality that Vidal was putting forward in the 50's.
This is my first experience with Vidal, and I think I'd be interested in going on to his longer fiction. There's a coldness in regard to character in some of the stories that I found off-putting, but Vidal has a definite style that I liked overall. The stories range in tone and type, and it's interesting to see the hints toward questions of sexuality that Vidal was putting forward in the 50's.
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For short stories, they didn't punch hard enough. Some of them like The Robin, A Moment of Green Laurel, they were really promising, but then pffft. One sentence, or even one paragraph too many. It spoiled the ending. The Ladies in the Library was the best of the bunch, in my opinion.
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Clouds and Eclipses (2006) is the complete short fiction of Gore Vidal, written mostly in the 1940s and 1950s when he was still honing his talents as a writer. While these stories comprise his only short story attempts, they illustrate his deep capacity for character and unique situations. “Three Stratagems,” the book’s opening story, is about a young male prostitute, his interactions with potential clients, and the mishaps along the way. “The Robin” is a poignant tale about two boys whose brief thirst for violence leaves them traumatized; it is a beautiful allegory to the virtues of nonviolence. “A Moment of Green Laurel” has Vidal going into speculative fiction territory, with his lead character meeting a younger version of himself during transitional periods for each of them. Likely his best known short story, “The Zenner Trophy,” chronicles the life of an ace athlete and student kicked out of his school for having homosexual relations with another student, echoing themes from his landmark novel, The City and the Pillar. Vidal veers into horror territory with “Erlinda and Mr. Coffin”, a story about a young girl who is secretly a middle-aged woman who wreaks havoc on a small town. “Pages from An Abandoned Journal” recounts the story of a man in Paris whose glory and reputation have nosedived as a result of debauchery. “The Ladies in the Library,” some lighter fare in this collection, shares a story of older women caretaking for younger men, and the interpersonal conflict therein. Finally, “Clouds and Eclipses,” a story Vidal forgot about until it was discovered by researchers in his papers at Harvard, tells a fictionalized account of the early life of playwright Tennessee Williams, a good friend of Vidal’s.
In all, these stories show a writer figuring out his strengths— light on plot but rich in character, scene, and unique structure. I personally liked “The Zenner Trophy” and “A Moment of Green Laurel” the best, as they showcased Vidal’s ability to tackle the complexity of sexuality and the incompleteness of human memory, respectively. While not essential reading, this collection is a pleasurable snapshot of Gore Vidal’s development as a storyteller.
In all, these stories show a writer figuring out his strengths— light on plot but rich in character, scene, and unique structure. I personally liked “The Zenner Trophy” and “A Moment of Green Laurel” the best, as they showcased Vidal’s ability to tackle the complexity of sexuality and the incompleteness of human memory, respectively. While not essential reading, this collection is a pleasurable snapshot of Gore Vidal’s development as a storyteller.
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As someone with two degrees in English, you'd have thought, somewhere along that eight year journey of education, that I would have read/studied something by Gore Vidal. I'd heard his name before, but never knew much about him. The other day I watched the documentary "Best of Enemies" detailing his legendary debates with William Buckley, and their snappy banter had me rolling. The documentary also highlighted Vidal's successful writing career, and so I was intrigued enough to finally seek out his work. But where to start?
With most writers, a safe beginning comes in the form of any possible short story collections they might have compiled. My local library had a decent amount of Vidal's works, including the collection "Clouds and Eclipses." And I have to say, if Mr. Vidal's novels are anything like his short stories, I am in for a very good time and have found a good (new to me) author to catch up on.
"Clouds and Eclipses" consists of eight stories:
Three Stratagems: a story about an older gentleman and the new companion he becomes acquainted with on vacation. Bit odd.
The Robin: out of the collection, this story reads/seems like the one most likely to be published in an anthology for college. It's a bit haunting and sad.
A Moment of Green Laurel: for me, this story felt a bit Edgar Allan Poe-ish. It's not too hard to figure out the twist at the end.
The Zenner Trophy: given how the documentary I saw depicted Vidal's opinions on homosexuality, this story was interesting to read as a result. Some good food for thought.
Erlinda and Mr. Coffin: definitely the most colorful story in the collection. The ending is a rush of revelations, but still entertaining.
Pages from an Abandoned Journal: this story felt disjointed, which was probably the whole point.
The Ladies in the Library: I'm still not entirely sure if I 'got' the ending of this one right.
Clouds and Eclipses: previously unpublished, this story was based on a true anecdote from Tennessee Williams' early life.
This collection is an easy read; I read the whole thing in one day. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for some decent short fiction.
With most writers, a safe beginning comes in the form of any possible short story collections they might have compiled. My local library had a decent amount of Vidal's works, including the collection "Clouds and Eclipses." And I have to say, if Mr. Vidal's novels are anything like his short stories, I am in for a very good time and have found a good (new to me) author to catch up on.
"Clouds and Eclipses" consists of eight stories:
Three Stratagems: a story about an older gentleman and the new companion he becomes acquainted with on vacation. Bit odd.
The Robin: out of the collection, this story reads/seems like the one most likely to be published in an anthology for college. It's a bit haunting and sad.
A Moment of Green Laurel: for me, this story felt a bit Edgar Allan Poe-ish. It's not too hard to figure out the twist at the end.
The Zenner Trophy: given how the documentary I saw depicted Vidal's opinions on homosexuality, this story was interesting to read as a result. Some good food for thought.
Erlinda and Mr. Coffin: definitely the most colorful story in the collection. The ending is a rush of revelations, but still entertaining.
Pages from an Abandoned Journal: this story felt disjointed, which was probably the whole point.
The Ladies in the Library: I'm still not entirely sure if I 'got' the ending of this one right.
Clouds and Eclipses: previously unpublished, this story was based on a true anecdote from Tennessee Williams' early life.
This collection is an easy read; I read the whole thing in one day. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for some decent short fiction.
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Loved it! Gore Vidal is such an amazing writer. My favorite was the Ladies in the Library. The only downside--I wanted more! I wanted a full novel on each story. But alas, that's the short story blues.
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I think it was amazing.
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All in all, a decent collection. The stories are of uneven quality, some, such as "Zenner Trophy" are of good quality while "Three Strategems" and "Erlinda and Mr. Coffin" leave something to be desired. That being said, the quality of the writing throughout is superior, and it is clear while Vidal is revered for his prose.
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