Sympathy for the Devil: Four Decades of Friendship with Gore Vidal

Author Mewshaw (Short Circuit; Do I Owe You Something??) recounts 40 years of friendship with the late author Gore Vidal (1925–2012) in this memoir, profiling one of the towering figures of 20th-century American letters during the second half of his epic life. Mewshaw attempts to bring a more balanced picture of Vidal, contrasting a public persona of irony and misanthropic pronouncements by highlighting some of his better traits. He is most successful—and entertaining—by bringing to life Vidal's wit and intellect through scenes that allow readers to believe they are eavesdropping on a particularly witty and erudite dinner party. He is best at describing the American expatriate literary and cultural scene in Italy where Vidal and his companion spent much time from the 1970s onward. Considering that much of the book takes place during Vidal's later life, there is a palpable sense of decline and aging as the narrative progresses, and Mewshaw does not shy away from discussing this.