Myra Breckinridge by Gore Vidal
"I'm Myra Breckinridge whom no man will ever possess."
So declares Gore Vidal's eponymous heroine – as bright a star as ever hung in the firmament; a goddess in the true Hollywood tradition, with a feisty determination to bringing down the old ideas of the sexes, of man as superior and woman as submissive.
Myra is determined, as no mere mortal can be determined, to leave her mark; to conquer and defeat men, and start a new age where women rule.
And her quest begins in LA, where she starts as a tutor at her "Uncle Buck's" academy for would-be stars. But between her classes in empathy and how to walk upright, Myra – two years a widow after the suicide of Myron – is also determined that former cowboy star Buck will give her the share of the inheritance that's her due, after the death of his mother.
And in the meantime, there's young wannabees Rusty and Mary-Ann Pringle to 'help' on their way to the top.
Will all her schemes come to fruition? Or will she be undone by a change of heart and an accident?
Very, very funny. Very, very naughty. Very, very camp. And very, very mischievous, Vidal satirises the Hollywood of the late '60s, and plays wonderful games with sex, gender and sexuality as he twists these conventions in all manner of directions and then watches the results with obvious relish.
Myra is, like Dame Edna, a monstrous creation and you read with a feeling almost of guilt in taking such pleasure in her escapades. Condemned as "filthy, bawdy, lewd and disgusting" by an Australian judge in 1970 and banned in that country, it remains a joyfully subversive book that follows the Vidalian theme of fluid sexuality.
An unmitigated delight (but probably not recommended for timid aunts or those of a prudish disposition).
"I'm Myra Breckinridge whom no man will ever possess."
So declares Gore Vidal's eponymous heroine – as bright a star as ever hung in the firmament; a goddess in the true Hollywood tradition, with a feisty determination to bringing down the old ideas of the sexes, of man as superior and woman as submissive.
Myra is determined, as no mere mortal can be determined, to leave her mark; to conquer and defeat men, and start a new age where women rule.
And her quest begins in LA, where she starts as a tutor at her "Uncle Buck's" academy for would-be stars. But between her classes in empathy and how to walk upright, Myra – two years a widow after the suicide of Myron – is also determined that former cowboy star Buck will give her the share of the inheritance that's her due, after the death of his mother.
And in the meantime, there's young wannabees Rusty and Mary-Ann Pringle to 'help' on their way to the top.
Will all her schemes come to fruition? Or will she be undone by a change of heart and an accident?
Very, very funny. Very, very naughty. Very, very camp. And very, very mischievous, Vidal satirises the Hollywood of the late '60s, and plays wonderful games with sex, gender and sexuality as he twists these conventions in all manner of directions and then watches the results with obvious relish.
Myra is, like Dame Edna, a monstrous creation and you read with a feeling almost of guilt in taking such pleasure in her escapades. Condemned as "filthy, bawdy, lewd and disgusting" by an Australian judge in 1970 and banned in that country, it remains a joyfully subversive book that follows the Vidalian theme of fluid sexuality.
An unmitigated delight (but probably not recommended for timid aunts or those of a prudish disposition).
