The City and the Pillar and Seven Early Stories

Certainly, as other reviews have pointed out, 'The City and the Pillar' is notable because of its social significance; it was published in 1948 -- a time when homosexuality was still relegated to the fringes of society, so the last place you would expect to see it is in a novel. Gore Vidal put homosexual life out there for everyone to see, and if the picture that he paints isn't a pretty one consider that life for a gay man in that time period wasn't exactly peaches and cream. To start with, Vidal's portrayal of his protagonist, Jim Willard, is mightily restrained. There is a distance between Jim and the reader that at first seems cold, but is somewhat fitting when one considers that there is a distance between Jim's wants and needs that he is completely unable to reconcile. He's not warm and cuddly because he just doesn't understand who he is, and while he delves into the gay society of the time he can't help but mock it because he doesn't want to think of himself as part of it. Jim is constantly trying to rationalize his sexual behavior so that he won't have to believe that he is like the other gay men he meets. If he could bring himself to have a straight relationship he would -- as evinced by his continued friendship with Maria Verlaine. But Jim isn't straight, and putting on airs only makes him dislike himself even more. One could wish that Vidal had put a more humanized, relatable character at the forefront of his novel, but it just wouldn't have been so honest -- which Vidal undoubtedly understood, being a gay man living at the time. Vidal, in addition to putting homosexuality into mainstream consciousness, acknowledged the stereotypes that have been attributed to gay men whilst taking a sledge-hammer to them at the same time. There was a pervading sense in Jim's time (and there still is today) that to be a gay man is to be feminine. Sure enough, there are feminine gay men populating Vidal's novel, but there are numerous masculine men that you wouldn't expect to be gay -- Jim included. Jim is an ace tennis player whose sculpted body and masculine features attract girls in droves, which for a long time helps feed Jim's denial of who he is. He didn't think he could possibly be gay because he wasn't 'girly', but by the end of the novel he has realized that, just like every other type of person, gay people come in all shapes and sizes. "Obviously the world was not what it seemed. Anything might be true of anybody," he notes at one point. This is also reflected in Jim's ventures into Hollywood and New York's high society. In Hollywood he has a relationship with Ronald Shaw, a mega-watt movie star who must hide his homosexual dalliances from the public in order to keep getting parts. At parties in New York Jim meets countless gay intellectuals who casually pretend not to know him when they run into each other in restaurants and such -- 'straight' locations where it would be too dangerous for them to reveal their link to each ot

Jim Willard spends a final weekend with his friend Bob Ford at a cabin before Bob heads off to sea, like they talked abouts. They're very close friends, and during this weekend of horseplay and relaxation, Jim and Bob take it to the next level. Before they leave the cabin, Jim promises to hook up with Bob once he's graduated. A year later, and with the memory of that weekend at the cabin still floating through his mind, Jim sets off to find the elusive love of his llfe, going to see, becoming ensnared in the glitz of Hollywood, traveling to South America, but clinging to his love for Bob and never letting himself fall completely for any other men. This novel beautifully tells the story of a young man's search for the ideal person -- or who he thinks is the ideal -- one who is in tune with him in every way. The characters are all well-written, and you really feel that you are right alongside Jim as he makes his way through the world. In the introduction, Vidal talks about how he re-wrote the entire book after its initial publication due to public reaction to the original, tragic ending. The re-written ending, I feel, is much stronger and shows what happens when the ideal becomes tarnished in the idolizer's eyes. It's a remarkable book that discusses homosexuality in a very open way for a novel from 1945. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

In the world of arts and letters euphemisms such as "trail blazing" and "groundbreaking" are too often bandied about by over reaching publicists and press agents. In the case of Gore Vidal's gay-lit classic "The City and the Pillar" (which is being reissued this December by Vintage International), these phrases seem like understatements. Reading this novel again after more then twenty years, I was moved by the clarity and brevity of the prose. Vidal doesn't mince words, but rather cuts to the heart of the matter - Jim Willard is in love with Bob Ford. What bigns as simple boyhood buggery, develops into an all consuming passion, sadly unrequited and ultimately tragic.By tackling a subject considered taboo, Vidal exposed various aspects of the homosexual psyche and the underground gay community as they existed in the 1940s. Readers will note the influence this once shocking work has had on a number of contemporary writers. Vidal remains both a maverick and literary hero.

Having read this book immediately after Ethan Mordden's "How Long Has This Been Going On?" this book provided a more intense view of the gay underground in the late-40's and early 50's. Not only intriguing for gay readers, but for anyone whose illusions have been shattered in an endless pursuit of an ideal.

While reading this apparent classic, first published years ago, I was surprised, because it seemed so contemporary. Apparently this novelette was one of the first to deal with homosexuality in 'normal', untainted youths. In any case, I liked the spare prose, which suggested a documentary, which both suited and clarified the central character of Jim. The images that the book invokes are clean-edged, there is very little that is extravagant des- cription. The basic story is of Jim and Bob, two youths that find passion on the last day of Bob's last year of high school. Jim is changed by this experience, and the rest of the novel details his search for Bob, or for the sort of wholeness being with Bob gave him. Ultimately, the journey ends tragically, after Jim has experienced a number of relationships, but while he is still in his early 20s. I found the tone of the novel to be bleak, a numbed journey from hope and optimism into nihilism at the end. Because of the very simplicity of the story, I didn't think it made much impression on me while reading. However, I now find myself continually thinking of Jim and his life and it seems the story has indeed got to me. I can't describe what it is, but the tale has left me empty and feeling a great deal of pity and empathy for Jim and what will happen to him afterwards. There are some glorious moments in the book, and the multitude of personalities in the gay world that Vidal illustrates are varied and non-stereotypical, surprising for a book written before supposedly 'enlightened' times. I recommend this book, as it is a fascinating read, one thatcontinues to haunt the reader long after the conclusion.