Key West Literary Seminar

Did Gore Vidal father a Conch love-child?

| | Comments (2) |
Vidal_VanVechten.jpg "Possibly," he says, in this recent interview from The Independent.
Will they re-unite this January, when Vidal joins us for Historical Fiction and The Search for Truth? It seems, well, unlikely:

"There are rumours that you have a daughter from a relationship with a woman living in Key West, Florida [in the 1950s]; are they true?"

"Possibly. I don't believe so. The father was either me or a German photographer. I believe the mother is dead. The child was a girl. Every Christmas, I would receive a picture of them all around the tree, and there's the little girl, looking like me. I could have a daughter, yes."

"Have you tried to contact her?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Because you might have a sense of responsibility, which, in the age of DNA..."

"I sent her mother money for an abortion. Which she used to go to Detroit, where she found a rich man."

Photograph of Vidal ca. 1945 by Carl Van Vechten. It is in the public domain.

2 Comments

Sam G. Dickson said:

Gore Vidal is someone whose essays I really admire. I have wanted to meet him or hear him for decades. Does anyone know where and when he will be speaking in Key West and whether it is possible to buy a ticket? I would pay $1,000 to meet him.

Arlo Haskell said:

Gore Vidal will be appearing during the first session of the Seminar which, alas, is sold out. However, there are often cancellations, and we expect a spot or two will become available. Email us at mail@keywestliteraryseminar.org to add your name to a waiting list; or call 888-293-9291

The journal of the Key West Literary Seminar features recordings from our audio archives, exclusive interviews, essays, news about the Seminar, and dispatches from Key West's literary past and present. It is created by Arlo Haskell. Send email to arlo [at] kwls [dot] org

Each January, we explore a different literary theme through lectures, panel presentations, readings, informal gatherings, and discussions. In January 2011, we explore food in literature with our 29th annual Seminar, THE HUNGRY MUSE.

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This page contains a single entry by Arlo Haskell published on June 5, 2008 9:19 AM.

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