Reports Celebrated Author, Playwright and Social Commentator Gore Vidal Dead at 86

The Los Angeles Times is reporting Vidal died on Tuesday (local time) at his home in Hollywood Hills of pneumonia complications. The paper wrote: Gore Vidal, the iconoclastic writer, savvy analyst and imperious gadfly on the national conscience, has died. He was 86. Vidal died Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills of complications of pneumonia, said nephew Burr Steers.

The Associated Press has tweeted that Vidal’s nephew has confirmed his death to them. Vidal’s official website Gore Vidal Now is also reporting his death.

Born in New York and raised in Washington D.C., Vidal began a career in writing at the age of 19. His first novel Williwar focused on World War II, and he then went on to write a mystery series. In total Vidal authored 25 novels, including historical works Lincoln and Burr, many of which he wrote from a house built on a cliff ledge at Ravello, along Italy’s breathtaking Amalfi coast.

Vidal also wrote Broadway hits, films and television shows. In the US Vidal is more respected as an essayist than a novelist, his bright sharp mind will be missed, his social commentary was a large contributor to the conscience of the US. In 2009, Vidal won the annual Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book foundation, which called him a “prominent social critic on politics, history, literature, and culture”.

Anna Funder Scoops Miles Franklin Award

Sydney author Anna Funder has won this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award. Ms Funders debut novel All That I Am was chosen from a shortlist of five entries. The book tells the story of an elderly woman living in Sydney and her recollections of Nazi persecution in pre-war Germany.

All That I Am, also won both Book of the Year and Literary Fiction Book of the Year aat this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards. And NO this isn’t a Funder Fan Site, well perhaps a little…

The annual award – one of Australia’s most prestigious literary awards –  which carries a $50,000 prize, was announced at a ceremony in Brisbane last night :: Read the full article »»»»

Anna Funder Scoops Book of the Year

Australian author Anna Funder has taken out the top honour at this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards.

Ms Funder’s novel, All That I Am, won both Book of the Year and Literary Fiction Book of the Year at a gala ceremony held on Friday night in Sydney.

All That I Am is the second book from Ms Funder, a former legalalese with the Australian government, her first book Stassiland also gathered much acclaim, winning The Guardian First Book Prize as well as the Samuel Johnson Prize :: Read the full article »»»»

Quote of the Day: Hunter S Thompson

READ A BOOK! Distraction: Mark Curtis

It’s no secret – our love of the blogsphere – every now and then however, we stumble across bloggers that can ounly be described as standout! An example at hand is http://letterstoamerica.blogs.com/ Mark Curtis, author of ‘Distraction‘ has penned an uberool post on social theorist Robert Putnam.

Curtis is obsessed with what we can do with our mobile phones and the web, “it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture, because so much is changing and so fast, we are distracted by it.” His book steps back to look at our use of new technology and draws some uncomfortable and challenging conclusions about what society may need to do to get the best, not the worst, out of the digital era.

Post Breakout: Despite the extraordinary and rapid advances made by the Internet and mobile telephony, television remains the most successful mass medium yet known to man. Yet it has had some powerful, and I believe detrimental effects on society. Read the full article »»»»