Messiah (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin)
Gore Vidal(1925–2012) was born Eugene Luther Vidal, later adopting the surname of his grandfather, Senator Thomas Gore, as his first name. Well known as a novelist, an essayist, a playwright, and a social and political commentator, he was the author of numerous novels—the first,Williwaw, written when he was twenty-one—as well as scripts for film, television and the stage, including the extremely successfulThe Best ManandVisit to aSmall Planet. His other novels includeMyra Breckenridge(1968), as well as thehistorical novels in the seriesNarratives of Empire, which includesBurr(1973),1876(1976),Lincoln(1984),Empire(1987),Hollywood(1990), andThe Golden Age(2000). He won the National Book Award in 1993 for his book of essays,United States: Essays (1952–1992).