The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore VidalMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a collection of essays written by Gore Vidal between 1992-2000. His subjects can be other writers(past or present), usually in the form of a book review. Included are historical figures like George Washington, FDR, Kennedy and Nixon. He also writes about contemporary events like President Clinton’s impeachment woes. His writing is in depth and thoughtful. His wit is legendary and biting at times but he isn’t vulgar about it.
What often is missed in Vidal’s writing though is his patrician manner of speaking and presenting himself. You can sometimes detect in his words but it has to be seen to. If one looks up his debates with William F. Buckley Jr., highlighted in the documentary “Best of Enemies” during the Presidential conventions of 1968 one can see his always cool and seemingly mocking manner in full display.
It is excellent writing though at times when he’s rambling about something or someone you know or care nothing about it can be tedious to slog through. Those instances are many times equalled out by subjects that are of interest. I also encounter this when reading other collections of essays where the subject matter can vary wildly so it isn’t a knock against his writing which is superb, thought provoking and entertaining many times over. This is a good one to hang onto a pick out stuff read individually in the future.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment