Palimpsest: A Memoir - Softcover

Vidal, Gore

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140260897 ISBN 13: 9780140260892

Publisher: Penguin, 1996

Synopsis

This explosively entertaining memoir abounds in gossip, satire, historical apercus, and trenchant observations. Vidal's compelling narrative weaves back and forth in time, providing a whole view of the author's celebrated life, from his birth in 1925 to today, and features a cast of memorable characters--including the Kennedy family, Marlon Brando, Anais Nin, and Eleanor Roosevelt. of photos.

About this title

Review:

An engrossing and beguiling read. Admirably candid, refreshingly indiscreet, intelligent and full of wit, it is also startlingly original...And unequivocal triumph. (William Boyd, DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEAR)

He does not narrate his life: he revies it. The result is something quite novel and wonderfully appealing, a critical biography of himself...Vidal's life might even be his greatest work. (INDEPENDENT)

Wonderfully entertaining. You want the high-level political gossip? You get it here... it offers all the zing of a Dry Martini without the danger of getting drunk. (DAILY TELEGRAPH)

PALIMPSEST is a tremendous read, down and dirty from start to finish. It is also a proud and serious and truthful book... (SUNDAY TIMES)

About the Author:

Gore Vidal (1925-2012) was born Eugene Luther Vidal, later adopting the surname of his grandfather, Senator Thomas Gore, as his first name. Well known as a novelist, an essayist, a playwright, and a social and political commentator, he was the author of numerous novels--the first, Williwaw, written when he was twenty-one--as well as scripts for film, television and the stage, including the extremely successful The Best Man and Visit to a Small Planet. His other novels include Myra Breckenridge (1968), as well as thehistorical novels in the series Narratives of Empire, which includes Burr (1973), 1876 (1976), Lincoln (1984), Empire (1987), Hollywood (1990), and The Golden Age (2000). He won the National Book Award in 1993 for his book of essays, United States: Essays (1952-1992).

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0140260897
• ISBN 13: 9780140260892
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480