Harold Bloom was one of my favorite English professors at Yale University. I have listened to him being interviewed him many times and bought his books.There are more than twenty, which include "Shakespeare," "The Western Canon," "The Book of J," "Stories and poems for Children," How to Read and Why." I have read every novel he ever suggested. RIP 🙏 ❤️ Many before I even heard about him. Gore Vidal was one among many writers, essayists and one of my favorites.
Try Julian and Creation: the first about the late Roman/early Byzantine emperor, the latter about the 6thC BC in Greece, Persia, India, and China. Creation is especially excellent.
@@tresjordan982 It's really great, isn't it? Have you read the long version? I forget when, but at some point after the original publication, he released an edition with a chunk more stuff in it. That's the one I re-read every few years. It's a frigging college course in world civilization--and entertaining as all hell, too. Robert Graves-level good.
Bloom was one of my teachers at Yale forty years ago. And he is still one of my teachers, through his books. For that reason I always forgive him his analysis of American politics, which puzzles me and never convinces me.
It's certainly superior to Myra and I don't think it's possible that he didn't read it. He doesn't strike me as someone with much appreciation for Southern lit outside of undeniable authors like Faulkner and Welty.
It's plain that Harold Bloom hasn't given Vidal a careful reading. The question, then, arises: why is Bloom so readily fawning of Vidal? My guess is that Bloom wanted to insure himself against Vidal's acid tongue and also make sure that Vidal, who was a considerable expert of the Greco-Roman tradition, wouldn't call Bloom out on his selective reading of that grand tradition. Bloom loved to cite terms like Agon, Vidal lived it.
Bloom's reading was far from 'selective'. He read almost everything of note. Having said that, I agree with you that Vidal's novels are not really quite good enough for Bloom's 'canon' and in this interview he is being rather generous to Vidal. Not sure Bloom and Vidal ever had a discussion, let alone on film. What a thing that would have been!
Bloom was an autodidact well before his academic career. He began reading at the age of three, read out multiple libraries in the Bronx. Tell me, is that not autodidacticism?
Harold Bloom was one of my favorite English professors at Yale University. I have listened to him being interviewed him many times and bought his books.There are more than twenty, which include "Shakespeare," "The Western Canon," "The Book of J," "Stories and poems for Children," How to Read and Why."
I have read every novel he ever suggested. RIP 🙏 ❤️ Many before I even heard about him.
Gore Vidal was one among many writers, essayists and one of my favorites.
" A Visionary Company" is one of my favorites.
Obviously not paid enough to buy a hanky
Thanks for this interview. Big fan of Bloom and Vidal. Loved Burr and Lincoln and plan to read more of Gore’s political histories.
Try Julian and Creation: the first about the late Roman/early Byzantine emperor, the latter about the 6thC BC in Greece, Persia, India, and China. Creation is especially excellent.
Try Creation
@@tresjordan982 It's really great, isn't it? Have you read the long version? I forget when, but at some point after the original publication, he released an edition with a chunk more stuff in it. That's the one I re-read every few years. It's a frigging college course in world civilization--and entertaining as all hell, too. Robert Graves-level good.
His comments on Shakespeare are always so powerful and moving.
This channel is amazing.
One of my favs talking about one of my favs. Great stuff.
Bloom was one of my teachers at Yale forty years ago. And he is still one of my teachers, through his books. For that reason I always forgive him his analysis of American politics, which puzzles me and never convinces me.
Does anyone know whose work the sculpture is to the left of speaker ?
Possibly Lehmbruck?
I wonder if Bloom ever read "A Confederacy of Dunces"? It's just as good a satire (if not better) than Myra.
I'm sure he did. The man read everything.
It's certainly superior to Myra and I don't think it's possible that he didn't read it. He doesn't strike me as someone with much appreciation for Southern lit outside of undeniable authors like Faulkner and Welty.
It's plain that Harold Bloom hasn't given Vidal a careful reading. The question, then, arises: why is Bloom so readily fawning of Vidal? My guess is that Bloom wanted to insure himself against Vidal's acid tongue and also make sure that Vidal, who was a considerable expert of the Greco-Roman tradition, wouldn't call Bloom out on his selective reading of that grand tradition. Bloom loved to cite terms like Agon, Vidal lived it.
They were both autodidacts. Rivalry at its finest.
@@seanlawley293 Bloom was a Yale professor, not an autodidact.
Bloom's reading was far from 'selective'. He read almost everything of note. Having said that, I agree with you that Vidal's novels are not really quite good enough for Bloom's 'canon' and in this interview he is being rather generous to Vidal. Not sure Bloom and Vidal ever had a discussion, let alone on film. What a thing that would have been!
Bloom was an autodidact well before his academic career. He began reading at the age of three, read out multiple libraries in the Bronx. Tell me, is that not autodidacticism?
You took the words right out of mouth. Far from selective.
3:50 - What about Pynchon's Mason and Dixon? . . .
38:58
I thought Vidal’s “Julian” was excellent.