The often controversial and always eclectic American writer Gore Vidal is known for his social and political criticism, as well as his novels, plays and poetry. Myra Breckinridge (1968) was perhaps Vidal's most sensationalized novel, but he is also known for his historical fiction and his incisive political essays. Vidal's life as an US expatriate in Italy has not prevented him from continuing his keen analyses of American cultural and political trends.