Gore Vidal Quotes


Nothing that Shakespeare ever invented was to equal Lincoln's invention of himself and, in the process, us.


Context

Shakespeare created many great political leaders, but Lincoln’s reality was, Vidal thought, greater than Shakespeare’s imagination.


Citations

Gore Vidal, 1925–2012, Author & Unsuccessful Candidate for Congress, United States - Essays 1952-1992, "Lincoln and the Priests of Academe"

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Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
  • Born: October 3, 1925
  • Died: July 31, 2012
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Writer, Novelist, Essayist, Playwright, Screenwriter, Actor

Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, patrician manner, and polished style of writing. Vidal was openly bisexual and his novels often dealt with LGBT characters, which was unusual at the time. Beyond literature, Vidal was heavily involved in politics. He twice sought office—unsuccessfully—as a Democratic Party candidate, first in 1960 to the United States House of Representatives (for New York), and later in 1982 to the U.S. Senate (for California).