Jim Willard, former high-school athlete and clean-cut boy-next-door-, is haunted by the memory of a romanctic adolescent encounter with his friend Bob Ford. As Jim pursues his first love, in awe of the very same masculinity he possesses himself, his progresss through the secret gay world of 1940's America unveils surreptitious Hollywood affairs, the hidden life of the military in the Second World War and the underworld bar culture of New York City. With the publication of his daring thrid novel The City and the Pillar in 1948, Gore Vidal shocked the American public, which has just begun to hail him as their newest and brightest young writer. It remains not only an authentic and profoundly importatnt social document but also a serious exploration of the nature of idealistic love.

About the Author
Gore Vidal was at the centre of literary and intellectual life for half a century and wrote 'The Narratives of a Golden Age' series as well as countless bestsellers. He died on 31st July 2012.

Reviews
Certainly one of the best novels of its kind ... It isn't sentimental and it is frank without trying to be sensational and shocking. These are enormous virtues. -- Christopher Isherwood A noble work -- Thomas Mann



Book Information
ISBN 9780349106571
Author Gore Vidal
Format Paperback
Page Count 192
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 140g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 134mm * 13mm