I initially wasn’t aware that Vidal wrote short stories. Eight stories make up this collection and actually they’re rather good, though I did notice that they sort of resemble the tone and style of Tennessee Williams. But this does make sense, as Vidal mentions in his preface that these stories are almost like a response to Willams’s work.

Generally the stories explore themes of innocence, identity, acceptance and sexuality, yet each story shows a different facet of those themes, with each facet building upon the next. As a collection, this is cleverly done.

However for me, four of the stories stand out the most: “The Robin,” “The Zenner Trophy,” “Three Stratagems,” and “Pages from an Abandoned Journal.”

“The Robin” provides a good representation of the thoughts, feelings and impulsive nature of 9-10 year old boys… how impulsive behavior can bring about pangs of conscience and regret.

“The Zenner Trophy” also plays with the ideas of innocence, conscience and regret and mixes it with sexuality, rules and acceptance. I just love this one section where the principal and the student advisor are going over the “just punishment” for the boys’ moment of indiscretion: “[The principal] paused as though expecting some word of approbation from Mr. Beckman; none came for Mr. Beckman was now studying the portrait [of the principal] and wondering to himself what future generations would say when they saw it in the chapel: ‘Who was that ape?’ The irreverent thought amused him and he faced the original of the painting with a smile which the Principal interpreted as applause.” ;-)

“Three Strategems” was actually, according to Vidal, Tennessee Williams’s favorite story in the collection. I think it’s the most reminiscent of Williams’s work. It reminds me of his play, Suddenly Last Summer mixed with André Gide’s L'Immoraliste.

“Pages from an Abandoned Journal” is like that as well, but Vidal adds humor and comedy to the story through the narrator’s interpretation of his daily/nightly excursions and parties. Some of the narrator’s commentary is hysterical. And by coincidence it amused me when, as I began reading, I wrote in the margin that the narrator’s summary of Elliott’s fantastical lifestyle reads like Voltaire’s Candide; two pages later the narrator actually says it himself… that it’s as if he’s “pretending to be a modern Candide.” Hehe! :-) But levity aside, I really liked how Vidal employs irony in this story in association with narrative voice. There’s an interesting dichotomy in terms of the voice of the narrator at the beginning of his journal entries and the journal entries at the end.

This is a very good read and I’m glad that I decided to pair it up with Tennessee Williams’ Collected Stories, which I’m reading next.

Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams spent a summer in Italy together, which precipitated the stories in this volume, one of which has never before been published. It's fascinating in part due to Vidal's egotism - he seems determined to prove he can out-write Williams in that writer's own milieu, the short story of domestic drama.

So the stories collected here have a distinctly Williams tone, but with the occasional searing wit that is Vidal's signature.

Gore Vidal's collection of short stories that was re-issued when Tennessee Williams was dead long enough for Gore to include the tale about TW's childhood. As Gore honestly points out in the foreword, he was traveling around with TW some summer when they both decided why not write some short stories. In later years, an archivist at Harvard phoned GV to say "hey, we found an unprinted story." And here we are.

Gore puts forth the collection with about as much "happy accident enthusiasm" as the stories seem to have been written. What I commend him for -- in addition to being a perpetual genius with an incredible command of language and wit -- is the variety of these stories. Perhaps the only commonality between them is the way Vidal sets them up as these self-contained little clouds that we wander through and then exit. The plots are very simple - if there at all - the characters are incredibly real - and the dramatic circumstances are unusual -- ranging from a would-be kept boy looking for the right sugar daddy, to a teacher who's forced to expel a student for what is clearly "lewd" (albeit monogamous romantic) homosexual behavior, to two boys learning an awful life lesson when they find a fatally wounded bird and put it out of its misery.

I can't say I "recommend" this book -- though you could tear through it in one sitting -- as much as I'm impressed its yet another thing Gore did. Simul-reading it alongside JULIAN -- which is just a monster -- makes it all the more remarkable to think both works (and the countless others) came from the same man. I am, of course, just a slight fan.

Loving it.

One of my favorite Florida authors, James W. Hall was in St. Augustine a few years ago and when I met him I told him I had read all of his books, poetry and short stories. One story I even read twice. He asked with a playful smile, “You didn't get it the first time?” “No,” I explained, “it was in two separate books. I 'got it' the first time.”

These collected stories of Gore Vidal, well, I admit, I did have to go back to re-read a few paragraphs so that I was sure I 'got it.' Vidal is not as easy to read as Jim Hall.

A Thirsty Evil was published originally in 1956 and included seven short stories. Clouds and Eclipses was published in 2005 and included the original seven stories of A Thirsty Evil plus an eighth story, named the title of the book, Clouds and Eclipses.

Vidal’s friend Tennessee Williams, asked him not to publish the story Clouds and Eclipses when the collection was originally gathered for publication. Vidal explains why at the end of this great little collection.

Vidal did not disappoint me at all even though these stories were written early in his career. He still surprised, baffled and used what he’s known for, his biting use of the language.

Some stories, of course, I enjoyed more than others but all of them left me saying out loud, “Ohhh!” Or “ Hum-mm.” And there was even a “Blimey!”

Gore Vidal fans (or not) you can’t go wrong with this collection.

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Some quotes from Gore Vidal which I thought were quite interesting and being the author, essayist, screenplays writer and celebrity he was, thought you would enjoy these photographs which are seldom seen.

Quotes

A good deed never goes unpunished.

If most men and women were forced to rely upon physical charm to attract lovers, their sexual lives would be not only meager but in a youth-worshiping country like America, painfully brief.

Fifty per cent of people won't vote, and fifty per cent don't read newspapers. I hope it's the same fifty per cent.

A narcissist is someone better looking than you are.

Apparently, a democracy is a place where numerous elections are held at great cost without issues and with interchangeable candidates.

All in all, I would not have missed this century for the world.
The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country - and we haven't seen them since.

It's not enough to succeed. Others must fail.

Television is now so desperately hungry for material that they're scraping the top of the barrel.

Photos
Gore Vidal - October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012

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21 Year Old Vidal

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Vidal in 1964