Near the beginning of Burr by Gore Vidal, Aaron Burr is narrating his life & times to Charles Schuyler & suggests that he "has a lingering desire to tell the true story of the Revolution before it is too late." Beyond that & while speaking of himself, Burr declares: "he is a labyrinth".


Most are familiar with "The Duel" that had Aaron Burr strike down Alexander Hamilton with whom he'd had a long-running feud, establishing Burr as an arch-villain within the shadows of American history but the esteemed novelist, Gore Vidal (born: Eugene Luther Vidal, Jr.), seeks to tell the story of the Burr/Hamilton discord from Aaron Burr's point of view & does so admirably in this novel.

From the beginning, it seems clear that the author researched the characters & this period of American History quite vigorously in devising something of a hybrid historical novel, most certainly not just an exercise in fiction.

Burr is normally cast as a malevolent, sinister character overshadowed by the splendidly cerebral Hamilton, a man who coauthored The Federalist Papers and established America's banking system but in fact Burr had graduated from Princeton (originally The College of New Jersey), his father having been president of the university. Additionally, Aaron Burr had a fairly distinguished record in the American War of Revolution, though with an exceedingly negative view of George Washington & everyone else he encountered in the military conflict and in life at large.

Having read an autobiography of Gore Vidal, I sensed more than a few similar characteristics shared by Vidal & Burr. However, what came as a surprise was the many similarities between Burr & Hamilton, who at various points in their respective lives admired each other. But at another point it is declared that Burr recalls his 1st meeting with Hamilton, indicating that "they were like brothers, if the brothers were Cain & Abel."

It is alleged that the great rivalry began when Aaron Burr & Alexander Hamilton were young lawyers, handling opposing sides in a famous case:

Burr's rivalry with Hamilton began in those days. It was inevitable. Both were heroes, both were ambitious, both were lawyers. Of the two, Hamilton was considered to be more profound philosophically as well as more long-winded but with a tendency to undo his own brief by taking it past the point of advocacy. Burr was more effective in court because his mind was swifter & he never moralized, unless to demonstrate a paradox. Yet, juries are often grateful to a lawyer for not preaching at them.

Neither Burr nor Hamilton were natural orators like Clay or Webster. They could not move multitudes; on the other hand they were both effective with juries & with their peers. And despite their rivalry, Burr & Hamilton sometimes worked together.

Beyond that, there is a rather humorous account of Chas. Schuyler doing some background work on the licentious life of Aaron Burr, both while in the U.S. & when living abroad, learning that both Burr & Hamilton had visited the same brothel, one run by a Mrs. Townsend who reads Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and philosophy books during slow moments at the bordello. It is noted that, when a younger "working girl", she had personally serviced both Burr & Hamilton.

And it should also be mentioned that Mr. Schuyler, who has been enlisted by Burr to help author his autobiography and thus "preside over the rehabilitation of a man slandered by both Hamilton & Jefferson", was himself a patron of Mrs. Townsend's house of "soiled doves".

Schuyler, young & impressionable, is rather in awe of Aaron Burr & calls him "Colonel", though after a recent stroke and seemingly impoverished, senses that Burr's mind is slipping. Curiously, as Burr details his own life to Schuyler, Mr. Burr is reading & annotating his copy of the Life of Alexander Hamilton, with the old rivalry very much on his mind. On more than one occasion while reading Gore Vidal's novel, I thought of the relationship between Mozart & Salieri, as related by Salieri in the film, Amadeus.


There are twists aplenty in the Gore Vidal novel, including the suggestion that at one point, Burr's amanuensis Schuyler is enlisted for $500 to prove that Burr is the father of Martin Van Buren. Perhaps, what I most enjoyed is the author's excellent portrayal of the political dynamics of this early phase of American History, including the inception of the Democratic Party, gradually replacing the Federalists of Hamilton & Adams.

Burr is pitted against Jefferson and Monroe against Washington, the beginning of the political factionalism that George Washington had hoped the nation could avoid. Here is an analysis of changing political relationships:

Van Buren will be nominated & he will defeat Clay or any other National Republican--no, no, Whig, I must get used to calling them that. How topsy-turvy it all is! Those of us who were for the Revolution were Whigs. Those for Britain were Tories.

Then there was the fight over the federal Constitution. Governor Clinton wanted a weak federal government. So, some of the Whigs became anti-Federalists & some like Hamilton became Federalist. Then the Tory-Federalists became Republican. Now, Tory-Federalist Republicans call themselves Whig though they are anti-Whig while the anti-Federalist Republicans are now Jacksonian Democrats. Oh, names are magic here!

There is even a discussion of the freedom of the press that seems rather contemporary, with the issue raised of "false facts" vs. "true lies". And there is considerable plotting about which territories will eventually become part of the United States and the suggestion that Aaron Burr was an instigator of various unsanctioned alliances with other countries, seeking to become the emperor of some future realm of his own devising.

However, Burr, in commentary that now rings a familiar bell, is given an opportunity by Vidal for a rebuttal: "Whatever my ambitions, none ever involved the cancellation of a legal election or the overthrow of the Constitution. It is curious that Hamilton (who was capable of any illegality) should have attached so securely to me the unlikely epithet of "embryo Caesar." I suspect that when Hamilton looked at me, he saw, in some magical way, himself reflected. Best of all to smash the glass & free the self therein--to range at will."


Ultimately, it is alleged that what Hamilton said to provoke the duel was that Aaron Burr had had an incestuous relationship with Burr's daughter Theodosia. That said, the noxious legacy of settling differences with a duel enjoyed a long history, with Burr having been involved in a previous duel and Hamilton's oldest son having been killed in one.

Obviously, this narrative occurs well before the groundbreaking musical sensation, Hamilton, by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with its own take on Hamilton & Burr and the spirit of their place within American history.

Gore Vidal's Burr represents a thoroughly enjoyable & interesting novel and I look forward to reading another of the author's historically-rooted tales. A minor distraction was Vidal's use of some rather archaic words where a glossary might have been helpful. Also, the Jay Parini biography, Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal with multiple photos from the author's life, is quite worth reading. Also, there is an excellent segment on the Burr/Hamilton duel & what caused it within Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis.

*Within my review is a photo image of the author, Gore Vidal; the painted image of Alexander Hamilton & Aaron Burr, as well as a sketch of their famous duel.

Like many who have seen or are familiar with the popular musical Hamilton, I’ve become interested in the titular character’s primary nemesis: his friend, rival, and ultimate murderer Aaron Burr. Yet I knew little about Burr save for him being once Vice President and the duelist who felled Hamilton.

Historical fiction isn’t the best place to learn about someone; I went down a wiki wormhole a few years ago and found the man lived a fascinating life on his own. I had tried Vidal’s work with little success once but after enjoying Hamilton when it came out on Disney+, I figured I’d give it another shot. And I’m glad I did. It’s an absorbing tale.

This book is the start of Vidal’s examination of America through the lens of historical people and/or events. He couldn’t have picked a better character. Burr was really the last living founding father, rubbing elbows with all of the greats, maneuvering and scheming like the rest of them.

What I appreciate about Vidal’s approach is the ambiguity to which he assigns Burr’s character. Burr was a mystery in real life, his motives not always clear. Vidal uses the framing device of a young man writing a biography on Burr to try and suss out the Patriot/Traitor/Hero/Murderer’s story. He finds more than he bargained for but he never quite seems to get a grasp on the man himself. All as well as it made for a more compelling tale than if he had “figured out” Burr.

Because this story at the heart of it is less about Burr and more a comedy of manners about the founding of the United States. Famous figures are presented as flawed, power seeking glory hounds, the country itself is racist and almost not worth uniting, and ambition is only a problem if it doesn’t work. The story of Burr is interesting; the story of the nascent country he helped to found and which eventually cast him out even more so.

The framing device doesn’t always work. The would-be writer’s backstory is interesting in the beginning but is only intermittently dragged out for reasons unclear until the end, which I’m not sure yet if I was a fan of or not. But overall, this book works well for what it is and it has given me yet another series to dive into.

I read Vidal's 1876 and Burr during the 1983/84 winter break from studies. These novels, as well as his other historical fictions set in the United States, are linked not only by their objective subject matter, but also by many of the major characters. As ever, the books are very well researched, albeit amusingly iconoclastic.

Having read Chernow’s Hamilton, memorizing all the words to Hamilton the musical and liking Gore Vidal, this book has been on my list for a long time because I wanted to know more about Burr. Seeing Hamilton for the 4th time last week finally pushed me to actually read it. I used to be a huge historical fiction fan, but have leaned toward nonfiction over the years, as it has become so “readable.” Ultimately the fictional Charles Schulyer was a great device to tell Burr’s story. I enjoyed every minute!

430 concise pages. Aaron Burr was vilified by Thomas Jefferson but this book tells us the story of the American revolution and early politics all the way to Martin Van Buren's presidency. Burr was critical of Washington and Jefferson and wasn't afraid to stand up for the division of power in government. It is interesting how much history is covered in one man's life. Vidal's handling is even handed and thorough.

Amazing novel. Vidal's creative achievement based on historical research is entertaining and astounding -- especially his depiction of Thomas Jefferson through Burr's eyes. Truly gives Jefferson the business, based on Jefferson's own statements and writing, but in Vidal's end note the author admits he thinks more of Jefferson than Burr does. So many layers of intrigue.

In my case this novel was made more enjoyable by currently reading biographies of Jefferson. Many small details attended to, such as Andrew Jackson showing up during the last third of the novel. By this time I trust the author entirely that he is creating dialogue in the manner that Jackson probably spoke. Biographical note: Jackson wrote a letter to Jefferson pledging to defend the Union against any possible attacks in the west (Mississippi River west). In the novel Burr, this small fact becomes a scene where Jackson is warning Burr that, based on rampant rumors about Burr's insurrection, Jackson felt he HAD to write Jefferson or else be blamed as a co-conspirator.

Gore Vidal really made these characters come to life for me. Bravo.

2023 - ‘70’s Immersion Reading Challenge

Burr: A novel by Gore Vidal (1973; 2000 ed.) 430 pages.

Good grief! Slow, tedious, and boring! I had no idea who “Burr” was when I started on this novel. Aaron Burr, while serving as the 3rd Vice-President of the United States (1801-1805), shot and killed the first Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Hamilton, in a duel. Three years after that, President Thomas Jefferson charged Burr with treasonous actions against the United States. Burr was later acquitted of those charges but found guilty of proposing an invasion of Spanish territory in order to make himself emperor of Mexico.

I would suggest you first read some true historical accounts on the Founding Fathers of America before diving into this book, and for sure read the “Afterwards” first. Vidal Gore does tell you that the events are real, but he took liberties with the conversations between individuals. He even rearranged some of the character’s lives, presenting them as living, even though they had already been dead, when certain events occurred because he needed them. Remember, this is JUST A NOVEL! It is not all historically correct, although Gore does claim to have made it as historically correct as possible.

I will admit that I don’t know that much about the Founding Fathers myself, so I cannot personally refute the claims made in this novel. I did look up a few events of interest to see if they had actually occurred, and the events were real. But, the descriptions and conversations, and how things truly went down between the Founding Fathers…I’m not so sure about.

The Founding Fathers were not perfect. I get it. I’m sure they spewed out lies about each other, vying for top positions in the new Republic, much like they do today. I’m sure there was a good amount of corruption, but the good outcome of it all, while working out the details, definitely outweighed the bad. Why else do we see the “world” entering our open southern border…and not fleeing it?

The one problem I did have while reading this was the total character assassination of all the Founding Fathers and degradation of the Constitution of the United States, as if it was a fault of some “brainless, fat waddling drunks” (words of the author) who got together and wrote up something that only benefited themselves. This is exactly how the author presented the Founding Fathers in this novel. He claims this was written from Aaron Burrs perspective of things…but, I don’t know if I believe that at all. I personally believe this comes from the authors own heart.

My notes here are long. That’s just so I will remember some of the things written in this novel. Next year, I’ll be reading up a little on the Founding Fathers from true historians, hopefully learning the good and the bad and will be able to compare.

The below comments are about individuals in this novel, provided courtesy of the author:

Benedict Arnold was a fat scared weasel.

Andrew Jackson drooled at the corners of his mouth like a mad-dog and was incoherent when he became excited.

Regarding George Washington, “ ultimately, I think, he must be judged as an excellent politician, who had no gift for warfare. History, as usual, has got it all backward.” He was “slow-witted” as if he didn’t have a brain. He was “a perjurer, a robber and a traitor”.

Regarding Washington’s Delaware River Crossing (that infamous painting): “I found irritating the slowness of his mind; not to mention his awesome gift for failure in the field. In three years, he had lost every engagement with the enemy, except for a small victory at Trenton, and that had been an accident: the Hessians had not posted guards the night of his attack...Quite naturally, many officers wanted Washington replaced.”

Speaking of the Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson, “ I confess, to not having listened to a word of the declaration of independence. At the time, I barely knew the name of the author of the sublime document. I do remember hearing someone comment that, since Mr. Jefferson had seen fit to pledge so eloquently our lives to the cause of independence, he might at least join us in the army. But why is Tom preferred the safety of Virginia in the excitement of local politics to the discomfort and dangers of war.”

Regarding Valley Forge while on Pennsylvania hill-side during winter 1877-78: “ We felt abandoned. We were abandoned. Elsewhere, let it be noted, the nations founders spent a comfortable winter, particularly Jefferson at Monticello aware, in perfect comfort and serenity, he was able amongst his books together with his ever-so-fine wool.”

Hamilton was for taxation to the hilt, sending in the militia to collect overdue taxes from farmers throughout Pennsylvania, which now he had a right to collect because “collecting taxes” is now in the Constitution. He was Secretary of Treasury when he was charged for stealing money. Hamilton had an affair with a married woman and they black mailed him out of hundreds of dollars to keep it quiet. But, it came out in a public pamphlet put out by Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton thought it was put out by Monroe, who was running for President, and challenged him to a duel, which did not occur, in which Monroe asked Burr to be his second in the duel. Hamilton then claimed Burr had incest relations with his own daughter, Theodosia, and called Burr a “more despicable” man, resulting in the duel that killed Hamilton.

Davy Crockett was nothing but a drunken fathead who’s writing style was nothing but tall stories.

In my opinion, this author appears to be completely “woke”.

Audible.com 18 hours 34 min. Narrated by Grover Gardner (A)

An irreverent historically accurate fiction of the life of Aaron Burr and his rivalries with Alexander Hamilton and the President for whom share little respect Thomas Jefferson. Burr returns to America as a old man and this book shows his influence on both Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. Burr outlives all the Founding Fathers but like them he is left bankrupt and left living off the goodness of friends. An interesting look at the imperfect lives of great men.

I knew next to nothing about US history when I began reading Gore Vidal's Burr. So, I was, and still am, in no position to assess the historical accuracy of the numerous events recorded in his fictional biography of Colonel Aaron Burr (1756-1836).

During the American Revolutionary War, Aaron Burr was involved in an expedition to attack the British forces in Quebec. Although this was not a success, it was during this campaign that Burr became known a military hero. He rubbed shoulders with George Washington, for whom Vidal has a low regard, and with Thomas Jefferson, also much disliked by Vidal, who was to become his greatest foe.

Burr, who was favoured by many to become the President of the USA, stepped aside to allow Thomas Jefferson to take the 'throne'. He became Jefferson's vice-president.

General Alexander Hamilton, another Revolutionary War hero and an important US politician, was antagonistic to Burr for a number of reasons. When Burr learnt that he had been slandered by Hamilton, he demanded an apology. Hamilton denied all knowledge of this. The situation worsened, and Hamilton challenged Burr to a duel in 1804. This took place in Weehawken, New Jersey. Burr was a far better shot than his opponent. Hamilton died of his wounds a few days later.

Following Hamilton's death, Burr moved out of New York and went westwards to the Mississippi, where he began collaborating with others in plotting the conquest of Mexico. Thomas Jefferson, learning of this, deliberately misinterpreted Burr's planning as evidence of plotting treason against the United States. Jefferson, keen to eliminate Burr, his rival and critic, arrested him and staged a show trial. Unlike those that Stalin was to stage manage years later in the USSR, Burr was acquitted. For the rest of Burr's life, he worked in his law practice in New York City.

The above is a very sketchy summary of Burr's life, but provides the background to Vidal's book.

Vidal uses two narrators in Burr. One of them is Charlie Schuyler, a young lawyer and an aspiring writer. Schuyler works in Burr's law office. The other is Burr himself.

Schuyler wants to write a biography of Burr, and is encouraged to do so by his subject. Burr supplies Schuyler with substantial sections of his unpublished, unedited memoirs. Excerpts from these memoirs alternate with Schuyler's own accounts of his daily life in New York during the election campaign the brought Martin Van Buren to the White House in 1837.

Enemies of Van Buren pay Schuyler to dig up the dirt on him during his candidacy. They are particularly keen to try to prove that Burr was Van Buren's father. Schuyler is torn between the money they offer him and his high regard for Burr.

Vidal uses the excerpts from Burr's (fictional) unpublished memoirs to write his idiosyncratic version of the history of the American Revolution. The result is a delightful riot of iconoclastic ideas and cynical views of the ideals of the founders of the USA.

I look forward to reading more of Vidal's historical novels, despite their great length!

PS Throughout the book, there is talk of the rights of states to secede from the union, and also there are numerous references to the continuing arguments between the slave-holders and abolitionists. The USA was far from being as united as its name suggests.

Dense and full of history and context for a Hamilton musical fan. Now after reading this and GV saying most of it is true except for a few timeline things and of course conversations between people, all of which are pointed out in the afterword. I also would have shot Hamilton.

Mr. Rozelle put this on his list of book recommendations for a class I had with him in 2017. I would have loved to talk to him about it then. Maybe it’s for the best I didn’t since I would have been more annoying Hamilton than I am now.

If you think fake news in politics is a new thing. Think again. Great book to see a side of the founding fathers that isn’t readily told.

This book was highly recommended by my dad as something he's read "cover to cover multiple times". So I went into it both looking forward to reading the book and also getting to see another side of my dad. He's passed books on to me before but there's something special about reading a book that someone you love loves and imagining their take on it and what exactly makes them react so strongly to it.

Okay, putting my psychology degree away for the rest of the review before I get completely off track...

It was a little slow for me at the beginning but once it got into Burr's recollections it really picked up. I'd never heard the main rumor for the premise of this book, that Aaron Burr secretly fathered Martin Van Buren.

I'm always surprised when an author reminds me that historical figures (the Founding Fathers in this case) are not the perfect, loyal people they've been portrayed as in our textbooks. Of course they're human and can be petty and would be upset if passed over for a promotion they felt they'd earned.

The sentence, "This insensitivity to other people's religion and customs has been a constant in the affairs of the republic and the author of much trouble...", applied back then and unfortunately continues to apply today.

I also learned a new word for snowbanks -- "snow-bitches" (thought to be derived from beaches/bitches made of snow).

Overall, this is probably not a book I would've picked up without the recommendation but I'm glad I read it and plan to continue the author's "Narratives of Empire" series (In order of course, even though the author said they don't have to be read that way...I'm not a monster).

A Few Quotes from the Book
"It has been my fate to be the centre of a thousand inventions, mostly of a disagreeable nature. I never deny these stories. People believe what they want to believe. Yet I do think that my name has in some mysterious way been filched from me and used to describe a character in some interminable three-volume novel of fantastic adventure, the work of a deranged author whose imagination never sleeps - although this reader does when he reads for the thousandth time how the hellish Aaron Burr meant single-handedly to disband the United States when a voyage to the moon would have been simpler to achieve, and a good deal more interesting."

"Curious to think that we would almost certainly have been friends had we not been two young "heroes" at the beginning of a new nation, each aware that at the summit there is a place for only one. As it turned out, neither of us was to reach the highest place. I hurled Hamilton from the mountain-side, and myself fell."

"I know the effect a good lawyer can make on a jury. The sun at noon can become the moon at midnight if Colonel Burr has decided that such a replacement is in the interest of his client."

"It was about this time that I learned exactly what it was that Hamilton had said of me, and knew that this world was far too narrow a place to contain the two of us."

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