Vidal claimed there were no longer any famous authors in America. It’s just not something you can become famous FOR anymore. But I think that was largely always true. With the exception of Mark Twain, who also had a gift for standing up on a stage and entertaining everyone, few writers approached anything like fame in their lifetimes.

And then there is Stephen King, who I suspect will be forgotten once he stops writing.

But I found Vidal’s writing largely annoying, as well. He struck me as a champagne liberal, trying to speak for the downtrodden. I never successfully finished reading any of his books before putting them down in annoyance at the simplistic posturing.

He wanted to be a goad, a gadfly. But he never achieved anything higher than that. And much of his prodding always seemed misplaced. In 1968 he almost started a fight on television when he accused Bill Buckley of being a “crypto-nazi,” which was about the most unjust accusation he could have levied against a man who had made opposition to racism (and especially anti-semitism) a cornerstone of his life, and prompted one of the most eloquently spontaneous bursts of anger you are ever likely to hear. en.wikipedia.org