The City and the Pillar: A Novel

A literary cause celebre when first published in 1948, Gore Vidal’s now-classic The City and the Pillar stands as a landmark novel of the gay experience.

Jim, a handsome, all-American athlete, has always been shy around girls. But when
he and his best friend, Bob, partake in awful kid stuff, the experience forms Jim’s
ideal of spiritual completion. Defying his parents’ expectations, Jim strikes out
on his own, hoping to find Bob and rekindle their amorous friendship.

Along the way
he struggles with what he feels is his unique bond with Bob and with his persistent
attraction to other men. Upon finally encountering Bob years later, the force of
his hopes for a life together leads to a devastating climax. The first novel of its
kind to appear on the American literary landscape, The City and the Pillar remains
a forthright and uncompromising portrayal of sexual relationships between men.