Back La ciudad y el pilar de sal Spanish Un garçon près de la rivière French La statua di sale Italian The City and the Pillar Portuguese دی سٹی اینڈ دی پلر (ناول) Urdu
 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Gore Vidal |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Gay novel |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York |
Publication date | January 10, 1948 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperbook, and VHS[1]) |
| Pages | 314 |
The City and the Pillar is the third published novel by American writer Gore Vidal, written in 1946 and published on January 10, 1948. The story is about a young man who is coming of age and discovers his own homosexuality.[2]
The City and the Pillar is significant because it is recognized as the first post-World War II novel whose gay protagonist is portrayed in a sympathetic manner and is not killed off at the end of the story for defying social norms. It is also recognized as one of the "definitive war-influenced gay novels", being one of the few books of its period dealing directly with male homosexuality. In addition, it was among the few gay novels reprinted in inexpensive paperback form as early as the 1950s.[3][4]
In 1965, Vidal released an updated version of the novel titled The City and the Pillar Revised. Most modern printings contain the updated text; however, they retain the original title The City and the Pillar.
- ^ "Gore Vidal". 12 May 2021.
- ^ Austen, Roger. Playing the Game: The Homosexual Novel in America, (New York, Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., 1977), page 119.
- ^ Stryker, Susan. Queer Pulp: Perverted Passions from the Golden Age of the Paperback, (San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2001), pages 17 and 103.
- ^ Bronksi, Michael (2003). Pulp Friction: Uncovering the Golden Age of Gay Male Pulps. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 343.
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