Serendipitous encounter

An unexpected meeting with Gore Vidal:

by Brendon Gooneratne

On 16 January 2008 Yasmine and I travelled to Galle to attend (and in Yasmine's case to participate in) the Galle Literary Festival 2008.

Yasmine had accepted appointment as Patron of the 2008 Festival, and was also taking part in 4 events on the GLF program. I had cancelled my own presentation on "Robert Knox in the Kandyan Kingdom" when I realized that its timing would clash with Alexander McCall Smith's talk, "A Good Detective and a Good Woman", which I was eager to attend.

While at dinner on the verandah of the Lighthouse Hotel, where we were staying, lo and behold whom do we see five yards away from us, but Gore Vidal himself, seated in a wheelchair, gazing out at the ocean.

Yasmine, who had met Vidal at the press conference on the previous evening, warned me that the famous American author had lost his baggage at Dubai on his way to the Festival from California, that he had not yet received it, and would therefore probably be in a fairly foul mood. I was scheduled to interview him on Sunday afternoon (the 20th), but this opportunity was too good to miss.

After I had had my dinner, I strolled over to him and introduced myself. Despite the loss of his baggage, Vidal was impeccably dressed in a blue-black striped suit, a blue striped shirt and tie. I thought he looked the epitome of the old guard of the 1950's and 1960's.

He was also - unexpectedly - very cordial, courteous and polite in his manner to me. We started talking, which he obviously loves to do. He has a reputation as a great raconteur, and he certainly did justice to that reputation as the minutes rolled by.

Our conversation ranged over many subjects: we talked about literature, history, politics, and about the many people he had known over his long life.

Despite his good humour, he was not without complaint: first against his companion/helper Dietmann who, he said, keeps wheeling him around in his wheelchair and then leaves him for long periods on his own while he (Dietmann) goes away to work on his computer; next about the loss of his shirts.

I mentioned this later to the Scottish novelist Alexander McCall Smith, to which McCall Smith ("Most of my friends call me Sandy") replied that everyone loses baggage sometime when travelling on international airlines, and there was really no need to make such a fuss about it.

Vidal is 82 years old, and when this sort of thing happens to a person of his age, who might also be irritated at being confined to a wheelchair, it would be natural to expect the loss to loom large on his horizon.

Vidal told me that he has been in a wheelchair for several decades, due to a war injury which, he said, he regards as his gift to his country. I believe it was a knee injury.

He seems to be a rather slim person of medium height (I could not, of course, estimate his height accurately since he was seated in his wheelchair throughout our conversation).

He had a glass of Black Label whisky in his hand when we met. "Three fingers," he ordered the waiter in my hearing when he asked for two refills in the course of our 2-hour meeting that evening.

Arrangements had been made for another meeting with Vidal four days later, at which Yasmine was to join us, but following this serendipitous encounter we cancelled it, not wishing to tire our guest.

Yasmine finished her dinner on the verandah with a friend, Jill Macdonald, who runs "The Study", an educational institution in Colombo, while I chatted with Vidal (his companion Dietmann having disappeared yet again to work on his computer).

Gore Vidal is a half-brother of the late Jacqueline Onassis, formerly Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Having been a member of the Auchinloss family, he has been present at numerous family occasions, and consequently had many stories to tell about the Kennedys, not all of which can be repeated here. I give below a sampling of comments he made on a variety of subjects during our conversation, and anecdotes that he told me.

That pair (the Clintons), said Vidal, know how to kill. "You do not cross their path." "I did not like Bobby Kennedy," he said, "and I once complained about him to his brother John F. Kennedy. 'Robert,' said John, 'is basically a policeman: if he hasn't secured a conviction by evening, he'd go home and arrest his own mother.'"

Aristotle Onassis? "A great friend of mine. Charming, well-mannered, a good host, and a useful and helpful friend." I told him that Onassis was not admired by me because he had earned his first million dollars killing whales off the South American coast, and had covered the bar-stools of his yacht with the scrotums of baby whales. Vidal's only reply to this was that his helper Dietmann would like to make my acquaintance, because he is a staunch environmentalist like myself.

Onassis, he said, who was personally acquainted with most of the great celebrities of the period, had once invited Winston Churchill on board his yacht, and had gone to Cannes to pick him up.

Also on board on that occasion were Jacqueline Kennedy and her husband John, who was facing a hotly contested U.S. Presidential election in a few months' time with a formidable Republican candidate in Richard Nixon.

John Kennedy and Winston Churchill were introduced to one another, and the talk came round to the Presidential election. John Kennedy told Churchill that he had a tremendously difficult and formidable hurdle to overcome in convincing Protestant America to elect him, since he was a Roman Catholic and was also married to a Roman Catholic. "Why," Churchill had promptly inquired, "don't you change your religion and give up Catholicism?" Vidal had intervened. "In the U.S.," he had told Churchill, "we do these things differently."

Vidal was also a close friend of the late Joseph Campbell, philosopher and author well known for his writings about old societies, religious myths and legends.

Vidal's publisher, Doubleday, had taken on Jacqueline Kennedy on Vidal's recommendation as a Director of the publishing house, following the break-up of her marriage to Aristotle Onassis. She did well there, arranging for Doubleday to make the video recording of Joseph Campbell's famous interview, "Myths And Legends of Ancient Societies".

Vidal asked me more than once whether I knew of Max Jacobson's work which, unfortunately, I did not... then! I do now, of course, having looked him up on the ever-helpful internet. Jacobson was a 'renegade physician' who treated President Kennedy before and during his Presidency.

He was part of the Presidential entourage at the Vienna summit in 1961, during which he administered dangerous amphetamines to the frail JFK to help him combat fatigue. Dr. Max Jacobson, popular in Hollywood during the early 1960s, and later known as 'Dr. Feelgood', travelled secretly with Kennedy to keep him up with corticosteroids.

These things all had side effects, including depression and increased sexual desire. Jacobson (and perhaps his influence over President Kennedy) seems to have made a deep impression on Vidal.

Four days after our meeting, Vidal discussed "The Nature of the American Empire", in the course of an excellent interview with Simon Winchester as moderator, in the Eddystone Room of the Lighthouse Hotel to a packed audience. He was in fine form.

In the presence of Mr. Robert E. Blake, the American Ambassador to Sri Lanka, he referred to President George W. Bush as "Dum-Dum", and delivered a scathing commentary on President Woodrow Wilson whom he described as a dull and unenterprising U.S. President with a habit of plagiarizing the work of others. The Treaty of Versailles itself was one such plagiarized document, he said.

He was not too enthusiastic, either, about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to whom he attributed the expansion of the 'American Empire', caused by the fear of Japan. Under Roosevelt, America had started to colonise other nations, and wage wars in other people's countries: the excuse being that this was done "in order to protect our own".

In reality, said Vidal, Roosevelt was looking to expand trade opportunities. Previously, in the 19th century, America had been actively involved in the Opium Wars, during which Chinese people were forced to smoke opium so that America and Britain could make money out of it. "America could not have cared less about the debilitating and addictive repercussions on the Chinese people".

In passing, Vidal mentioned the name of the 'numbskull' President who ordered Commodore Matthew Perry to force Japan to open its doors to American trade opportunities, adding that there exists a distinct possibility that President George W. Bush ("Dum-Dum"), Dick Cheney and others may well be prosecuted for conducting a horrendous and unjust war in Iraq on false pretences, but in reality to grab Iraq's oil. America does not care about other nations and peoples, said Vidal.

"Most Americans are malleable, and are easily exploited by political leaders who have brought them to the brink of destruction - financially, and in terms of world leadership".

A highly intelligent, interesting and erudite man who is fearless in what he says, and who also, as his Essays reveal, writes beautifully. Meeting Gore Vidal, first in conversation, then in public discourse, was, for me, one of the highlights of the 2008 Galle Literary Festival ... which gave me some of the most illuminating few days I have ever experienced.

Realities of life

Reviewed by Ishara Mudugamuwa

The 'Dalu Kambiya Saha Thawath Katha' is not only a book which has an aesthetic value but one which is suitable for profound study. The book presents the ardent ideas of the writer, and provides material for intellectual discussion.

There are fourteen short stories here with separate themes, all focusing on the realities of life.

'Amma Thaththa Saha Godagalu Muhuda' is a touching story which focuses on one aspect of the lives of the victims of the tsunami. It reveals the difficulties most parents face today due to the escalating cost of living.

'Jeevaka' is the main character in this story. His father makes a great effort to feed him but unfortunately dies in the tsunami. After his father's death Jeevaka and his mother live with great difficulties. The aim of the author here is to make the reader realize the plight of the down trodden masses.

The first three stories share a common theme. Ariyasena, Maththo Appo and Siyathu are the main characters in the three. They are innocent and helpless but kind hearted. All of them lead lives filled with difficulties. Finally they reach a sad end.

Ariyasena in 'Viplawayaka Adiyarak' is a man with good qualities. 'Maththo Appo' is the main character in the story 'Dewana Sil Padhaya Saha Wesak Ulela' who dies in an accident.

'Siyathu' in 'Tali Gram Pium' is an odd job man who works in a post office but he has never been made permanent.

When he dies he is buried by the government.

'Munuburage Samprapthiya' is another interesting story in this book. It shows how love can change people. Though Wickramasingha Mudalali is a strict person, after the arrival of his grandson he forgets all the troubles he has with his son.

The Mudalali comes from the southern province and settles down in Bandarawela. His elder son goes to the United Kingdom for his higher studies.

The Mudalali is proud of his son and says "After he passes the exam for Chartered Accountants my son will earn a lot of money and then he can marry a bride with a big dowry."

But this does not happen.His son gets married to a Christian lady.

This comes as a big shock to him. After the arrival of the grandson the situation changes.

"My son came back with my daughter-in-law. Now I'm a grandfather......." rejoices the Mudalali.

All in all the stories are so realistic, so true to life that they cannot be called black or white.

[email protected]

History of Etherawa Korale

Reviewed by Panchamee Hewavissenti

Haldummula Withthi is an ideal example of a fruitful result of an investigation carried out by the author who has an excellent knowledge of the Etherawa Korale, situated in the Uva Province. Haldummulla is the Western margin of the Uva Province.

The history of Uva will definitely arouse the keen interest of the reader who wishes to know more hidden facts about the Etherawa Korale.

Laggala, the capital of king Rawana is situated in the Uva Province. It is accepted that the world's oldest aircraft belonged to King Rawana and his airport was situated at a place called Wariyapola. It is very interesting to read the history of King Rawana who abducted a princess from South India and incarcerated her in a cave at Sithaeliya.

The interesting and curious facts that the author has written in this marvellous book as a result of a socio-economic investigation carried out by him in order to observe the developments in Etherawa Korale as divulged in the archaeological script called Medagama Sannasa depict the Eastern portion of this area of administration. The Western part of this Korale is now in the Kadawatha Korale of Sabaragamuwa.

In this book the author has peeped deep into the buried history of the ancient society and presented his valuable inventions and appreciable instances for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Without sticking only to the original sources, he has attempted to disseminate what is right by studying, reading ancient documents, associating with the learned, observing places, incidents related to this and conducting investigations.

This is not merely a book which illustrates the history of the glorious Uva Province, as it contains socio-scientific matters which also have historical and archaeological importance. It divulges many hitherto unknown information which the author presents with facts and figures. It brings forward facts such as the behaviour of our ancient ancestors, their language, culture, folklore etc.

This is a book which can be read with pleasure. When pouring through the pages of this book, the reader comes across some difficult matters for which the author himself provides explanations. Such as the author's definition of the word-Uva.

Uva is not from Huwa (hoot). But Wuwa (happened). He brings out some facts to prove that the western boundary of Uva was extended up to Opanayake of Sabaragamuwa during ancient times. He has seen the arrival of Lord Buddha through different eyes.

This book says that the Sinhalese have descended from Yakshas and Veddhas. Also there are many assumptions that the foundation for the agricultural society was laid during the first visit of the Buddha.

He has kept proofs extensively in writing to prove the story of King Rawana. As I see it this is a fulfillment of a long felt need for a book on such a curious arena. This book lavishly presents an investigation useful to the reader who wishes to know more about the hidden history of Etherawa Korale.

[email protected]