Rating: 
Summary: Vidal sharpens his knives once more
Review: A collection of Gore Vidal's essays covering the years 1992-2000, "The Last Empire" is a fine addendum of sorts to the epic "United States."Vidal is once more concerned primarily with the subjects of art and politics, and he's at his best when his two preoccupations meet, as they do several times in this volume. Vidal, perhaps out of rivalry, perhaps out of genuine contempt resulting from objective analysis, makes a meal out of author John Updike in "Rabbit's Own Burrow," the lengthy essay that may be the highlight of this collection. When Vidal brings out his carving knives, you may sometimes pity whomever he deigns to dine on, but you're likely to be satisfied with the feast he serves. Vidal can be nice, too, and his thoughts on Frank Sinatra shortly after the crooner's death, are enlightening for anyone who squirmed at the sight of the Voice's seemingly illogical embrace of conservative politics after a lifetime of populism. Elsewhere, in his reaction to the death of Richard Nixon, you're not entirely sure where he stands. Vidal seems to have a grudging respect for the man he did so much to villify. Vidal's massive ego takes to the stage in "A Note on The City and the Pillar and Thomas Mann" in which he shares with us entries from Mann's diary praising...Vidal! It could almost be too much to take if Vidal weren't so amusing even at his most insufferable. Vidal is the last of the great curmudgeons, but unlike most of that breed, he resists being fully lovable. His sense of superiority keeps even some of his most avid admirers at arm's length, but whether one agrees with his views or not, he never fails to make you think and to laugh.
Rating: 
Summary: Vidal Redux!
Review: And we rejoice. Raconteur, critic, historian, polemicist, name-dropper - Gore Vidal either knew everybody who was anybody or is related to them. In this successor to "United States," we meet FDR, JFK and Jackie, Dawn Powell, Edmund Wilson, Nixon, Lindbergh and Sinclair Lewis, to name a few, and gain perspectives that nobody else could provide. We watch as Mr. Vidal hilariously demolishes a critic and marvel as he tears into John Updike. We learn that Thomas Mann was inspired by a Vidal novel to return to "Felix Krull." But for most of the book, we are treated to Mr. Vidal's vehemently expressed political views (the military-industrial complex runs the country, the American polity is a single party state with two right wings - Democratic and Republican, the Federal government is a form of tyranny, the majority of Americans are worse of than their counterparts in other rich countries). Whether you agree or not, reading Vidal always has the salutary effect of making you revisit your assumptions. This reader certainly awaits more from Gore.
Rating:
Summary: Vidal Redux!
Review: And we rejoice. Raconteur, critic, historian, polemicist, name-dropper - Gore Vidal either knew everybody who was anybody or is related to them. In this successor to "United States," we meet FDR, JFK and Jackie, Dawn Powell, Edmund Wilson, Nixon, Lindbergh and Sinclair Lewis, to name a few, and gain perspectives that nobody else could provide. We watch as Mr. Vidal hilariously demolishes a critic and marvel as he tears into John Updike. We learn that Thomas Mann was inspired by a Vidal novel to return to "Felix Krull." But for most of the book, we are treated to Mr. Vidal's vehemently expressed political views (the military-industrial complex runs the country, the American polity is a single party state with two right wings - Democratic and Republican, the Federal government is a form of tyranny, the majority of Americans are worse of than their counterparts in other rich countries). Whether you agree or not, reading Vidal always has the salutary effect of making you revisit your assumptions. This reader certainly awaits more from Gore.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best
Review: As a longtime fan of Gore Vidal I was disappointed in this latest work of his. I have read most of his work in recent times and have even given his books as gifts to friends, but this latest effort is not up to Vidal's usual high standard. The literary essays are fine and in several instances wonderful. However in the political essays there was a sameness about them collectively that seemed to render them shrill and unreadable. It is not the content that I object to, merely the repetition. There is only on essay on politics in this volume and Vidal has repackaged it several times, reheating and serving it up again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best
Review: As a longtime fan of Gore Vidal I was disappointed in this latest work of his. I have read most of his work in recent times and have even given his books as gifts to friends, but this latest effort is not up to Vidal's usual high standard. The literary essays are fine and in several instances wonderful. However in the political essays there was a sameness about them collectively that seemed to render them shrill and unreadable. It is not the content that I object to, merely the repetition. There is only on essay on politics in this volume and Vidal has repackaged it several times, reheating and serving it up again and again.
Rating:
Summary: It is truly a joy to read this book
Review: As usual Gore Vidal is an excellent essayist and social observer in this book. His books are quite informative and you learn a lot about the US and many other issues. For example, I did not know that Frank Sinatra had leftist tendencies, [leftists by American standards as Mr. Vidal aptly points out]. He was sort of blacklisted and tormented by the FBI of Hoover most likely for that than his alleged connections to the mob. This example is just one of many facts that you learn when you read Mr. Vidal's books. I sometimes wonder how many hours there are in his day to read all the books and articles that he refers to. And one can tell that he had read them from cover to cover. If you are interested in current affairs and history or just want to read about Sinatra, Updike, Twain, Lindberg, Anthony Burgess, and many others, just pick up the book and read it. It is truly a joy. By reading Mr. Vidal you also learn about yourself. I learned from reading the article on the vice president Albert Gore why I do not like Faulkner. His style is not bearable for me. I always thought I am missing something because I am not an American. Now I know I never liked that kind of style in my own native tongue either. I do not spoil the book for the readers but I just want to quote one sentence that made me almost fall from the chair laughing while reading it in a bus. I am sure the other passengers wished the bus would have a stop in front of a mental hospital to deposit me. In the passage below he is writing about the magazine The New Yorker . "Nabokov .... needed all of [Edmund] Wilson's help in fighting off editorial attempts to make his prose conform to the proto-Raph Lauren house impersonation of those who fit, socially in the roomy top-drawer-but-one." P. 93 If you do not think this is funny maybe Mr. Vidal is not for you. But read it for all the information in there for your next term paper or class project on politics, literature or almost any other subject you can think of. But don't forget the right citations. There are many professors who do not admit in public that they read any of Vidal's books, but they do read it at home. Do not flunk your course because you think Mr. Vidal is too radical and your conservative professor probably never heard of him and you can copy his words as yours.
Rating:
Summary: Honest, Stylish, and Sometimes Brutal
Review: For sheer stylistic prowess and fervor Gore Vidal's essay collections are always a rewarding purchase. This collection is no exception. Whether he's illuminating a social issue, destroying a literary critic, or praising a fellow writer, Vidal exhibits a thoroughly convincing intelligence. Vidal is that nearly extinct kind of writer: one who knows something besides the rankings of various MFA programs. He is a polyglot (unheard of among the new generation of BFAers and MFAers, whose sole exposure to foreign language is the required four semesters of Spanish during undergrad). He is well-versed in history, politics, and European history (considered pretentious and irrelevant by the BFAers and MFAers). And he writes about something more than his own life, though his life has been extraordinarily interesting compared to the dozens of MFAers who want to write (yet again) about the time grandma sewed a quilt. At a time in American letters when poetry is little more than autobiography in verse, and fiction is little more than an exercise in deleting adverbs, Gore Vidal is both an anomaly and a saving grace. As a final note, much has been made of Vidal's assault on John Updike. Some have hinted that Vidal resents Updike's greater critical status. Firstly, Vidal is such a literary giant (with millions of copies of all of his books in print) that to worry about such a comparison would be petty, which Vidal rarely is. Secondly, a man who has redefined himself so many times is slave not to the critics, but to his own artistic integrity. And finally, had Updike written the first literary novel in American history to openly deal with homosexuality and was then blacklisted for over a decade by TIME and the New Yorker because they didn't want to be associated in any way with anything homosexual, then maybe his critical status would be a little damaged as well. TIME and the New Yorker refused to even review Vidal's books between 1948 (when The City and the Pillar was published) to 1960. It was during this time that Updike made his name writing about perfectly safe, upper-class, white people doing very heterosexual things (like being promiscuous, but always with the opposite sex). In short, Vidal is the most important literary figure in America during the second half of the twentieth century. If you don't know him yet, this book is good introduction.
Rating:
Summary: The best perspective we have right now
Review: Gore Vidal has lived during the most vitsl parts of the 20th century and knows/knew personally many of the players on the US stage of politics and entertainment. Coming from a political family with strong political connections, he has been privvy to the "real" machinations and intrigues of how policies, laws, and, yes, movies are made. His gift for sardonic wit, cutting observations, and a consistent world view allow him to comment in ways that open the reader's mind to entirely different and eminently practical perspectives. Vidal's use of language is first rate, and his thinking on why we live in the kind of country we have become is expressed in ways that force us to drop the pretenses of patriotism and help us to become active citizens instead - provided we pick up his challenge to think for ourselves. In fact, all his volumes of essays should be required reading for every engaged thinker, but this volume is by far his best contibution yet to the discourse of America. A must own and a must read.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Empire Essays 1992-2000
Review: Gore Vidal is a patriot who sees America through the clear eyes of a long-term relationship. If an unexamined life is not worth living, then an unexamined country is not worth loving. Even as Mr. Vidal reviews our national foibles, examines our errors, and dissects our politicians his love of the founding principles of this flawed democracy shine through. There is no doubt as to Mr. Vidal's erudition, but he is also wickedly funny. Mr. Vidal is a political and social aristocrat that gives him name-dropping rights to the 20th century, and drop names he does. He's had dinner with everyone who matters, and it seems he's read everyone who matters more. Whether he's unveiling the secrets of America's entrance into WWII, or punching holes in Kenneth Starr's multi-million dollar investigation into Bill Clinton's peccadilloes he is unerringly on-the-mark. Gore Vidal is Noam Chomsky with a sense of humor, and the thinking persons' Michael Moore. These essays are a fascinating look at America, and a great read to boot.
Rating:
Summary: Patriotic Gore
Review: Gore Vidal is a patriot who sees America through the clear eyes of a long-term relationship. If an unexamined life is not worth living, then an unexamined country is not worth loving. Even as Mr. Vidal reviews our national foibles, examines our errors, and dissects our politicians his love of the founding principles of this flawed democracy shine through. There is no doubt as to Mr. Vidal's erudition, but he is also wickedly funny. Mr. Vidal is a political and social aristocrat that gives him name-dropping rights to the 20th century, and drop names he does. He's had dinner with everyone who matters, and it seems he's read everyone who matters more. Whether he's unveiling the secrets of America's entrance into WWII, or punching holes in Kenneth Starr's multi-million dollar investigation into Bill Clinton's peccadilloes he is unerringly on-the-mark. Gore Vidal is Noam Chomsky with a sense of humor, and the thinking persons' Michael Moore. These essays are a fascinating look at America, and a great read to boot.
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