A compilation of 114 classic essays from Gore Vidal.
"A marvelous compendium of sharp wit and independent judgment that confirms his status as a man of letters." —Publishers Weekly
From the age of Eisenhower to the dawning of the Clinton era, Gore Vidal’s United States offers an incomparably rich tapestry of American intellectual and political life in a tumultuous period. It also provides the best, most sustained exposure possible to the most wide-ranging, acute, and original literary intelligence of the post–World War II years. United States is an essential book in the canon of twentieth-century American literature and an endlessly fascinating work.
WINNER
| 1993 National Book Awards
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I wrote the first of these pieces in 1952, the year that Eisenhower was elected president, and the last in 1992, the year of Clinton’s election. The first piece, “The Twelve Caesars,” was written after rereading Suetonius and realizing that I had never before got the point of what he is telling us, not so much about the Caesars as about our common humanity and the nature of power. Apparently, people still miss the point: it took a long time before anyone would publish so “outrageous” a commentary.
This collection represents about two thirds of the essays or pieces that I have published over forty years. They seem to fall naturally into three categories: literature, or the state of the art; politics, or the state of the union; personal responses to people and events, not to mention old movies and children’s books, or the state of being. So, herewith, my three states—united.
"In 114 essays written over a period of forty years, Gore Vidal has shown himself to be a masterly, learned, and percipient observer of an unparalleled range of subjects. United States: Essays, 1952-1992 assesses such diverse matters as modern French fiction, the Kennedys, underappreciated writers like Thomas Love Peacock, and the American attitude toward sex. He writes tenderly of authors and people he cherishes-Eleanor Roosevelt, Tennessee Williams, William Dean Howells. Whatever his subject, he addresses it with an artist's resonant appreciation, a scholar's conscience, and the persuasive powers of a great essayist." —Citation for the 1993 National Book Award
"Gore Vidal, essayist; so good that we cannot do without him. He is a treasure of the state." —R. W. B. Lewis, New York Times Book Review
"Gore Vidal is the master essayist of our age, and we should thank the gods that we still have him to kick us around. Long may he flourish." —Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World
A compilation of 114 classic essays from Gore Vidal.
"A marvelous compendium of sharp wit and independent judgment that confirms his status as a man of letters." —Publishers Weekly
From the age of Eisenhower to the dawning of the Clinton era, Gore Vidal’s United States offers an incomparably rich tapestry of American intellectual and political life in a tumultuous period. It also provides the best, most sustained exposure possible to the most wide-ranging, acute, and original literary intelligence of the post–World War II years. United States is an essential book in the canon of twentieth-century American literature and an endlessly fascinating work.
Awards
WINNER
| 1993 National Book Awards
Excerpt
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I wrote the first of these pieces in 1952, the year that Eisenhower was elected president, and the last in 1992, the year of Clinton’s election. The first piece, “The Twelve Caesars,” was written after rereading Suetonius and realizing that I had never before got the point of what he is telling us, not so much about the Caesars as about our common humanity and the nature of power. Apparently, people still miss the point: it took a long time before anyone would publish so “outrageous” a commentary.
This collection represents about two thirds of the essays or pieces that I have published over forty years. They seem to fall naturally into three categories: literature, or the state of the art; politics, or the state of the union; personal responses to people and events, not to mention old movies and children’s books, or the state of being. So, herewith, my three states—united.
"In 114 essays written over a period of forty years, Gore Vidal has shown himself to be a masterly, learned, and percipient observer of an unparalleled range of subjects. United States: Essays, 1952-1992 assesses such diverse matters as modern French fiction, the Kennedys, underappreciated writers like Thomas Love Peacock, and the American attitude toward sex. He writes tenderly of authors and people he cherishes-Eleanor Roosevelt, Tennessee Williams, William Dean Howells. Whatever his subject, he addresses it with an artist's resonant appreciation, a scholar's conscience, and the persuasive powers of a great essayist." —Citation for the 1993 National Book Award
"Gore Vidal, essayist; so good that we cannot do without him. He is a treasure of the state." —R. W. B. Lewis, New York Times Book Review
"Gore Vidal is the master essayist of our age, and we should thank the gods that we still have him to kick us around. Long may he flourish." —Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World
