Literary Icon Gore Vidal Has Passed Away

Renowned author, screenwriter, playwright, essayist and political activist Gore Vidal has passed away after complications of pneumonia.
In 86 years of life, he wrote over a dozen screenplays, eight plays and 25 novels. He famously created controversy in 1948 with his third book, The City and the Pillar, which was one of the first novels in American literature to feature unambiguous homosexuality.
Vidal fearlessly tackled the taboo again in 1968 when Myra Breckenridge was published, which revolves around a transsexual main character.
The literary icon was also heavily influenced by politics and wasn’t afraid to share his own in a number of essays criticizing our country and its culture.
Currently, his play The Best Man — which is being revived by famous faces like James Earl Jones, Cybill Shepherd, John Stamos and Kristin Davis — can be seen on Broadway until September 9.
Rest in peace, sir! Your life’s work will continue to influence the social and literary landscape for decades to come.
[Image via WENN.]