Gore Vidal

Vidal, a notably acerbic commentator, is particularly respected for his essays, though his novels brought more attention. Earhart, close to his father, doted on him as a child. Among friends, he drank regularly with Auden, went walking with Nureyev, got a cameo role from Fellini, and was a close neighbour of Calvino. Kerouac and he enjoyed visits to the opera together, and had a brief fling; Nin (unreliable) also claimed to have been a lover. Garbo was also a friend, though Vidal said the relationship was unidirectional. He tried to persuade Sitwell that Capote (engaged in a famous spat) had written Lady Chatterley.