Myra Breckinridge

A Novel (Myra and Myron, Book 1)

By: Gore Vidal, Camille Paglia - introduction

Narrated by: Michelle Hendley, Camille Paglia

The outrageous and immortal, gender-bending and polymorphously perverse, over-the-top, and utterly on-target comic masterpiece from the bestselling author of Burr, Lincoln, and the National Book Award-winning United States.

With a new introduction by Camille Paglia

"I am Myra Breckinridge, whom no man will ever possess."

So begins the irresistible testimony of the luscious instructor of Empathy and Posture at Buck Loner's Academy of Drama and Modeling. Myra has a secret that only her surgeon shares; a passion for classic Hollywood films, which she regards as the supreme achievements of Western culture; and a sacred mission to bring heteronormative civilization to its knees.

Fifty years after its first publication unleashed gales of laughter, delight, and ferocious dissent ("Has literary decency fallen so low?" asked Time), Myra Breckinridge's moment to instruct and delight has once again arrived.

©1968 Gore Vidal (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Introduction © 2019 by Camille Paglia.

I hated and love it

It’s chalked full of movie references I don’t understand. I see how Myra Breckinridge is the next trans Marquis D.S: she’s an erudite, takes no pleasure in sex; except the power in sex in which; the theme is literally to have control over someone (which is terrible). But hey movie references: James Cagney- Jean Harlow (Christian scientist ironically)- Ann Dvorak…. Did i mention I loved it? Myro— ah Breckinridge is the female embodiment of the female figure, and the voice actress kicks ass delivering all her lines. One thing I will say is… I am not a fan of gore Vidal but I will say is writing is superb and adequate and I can’t wait to try and read two others: Myron part 2– and The City and The Pillar
Ty Cynthia Ellison

celebration of rape

if you read this story, ask yourself if there is really a difference between what Myra B. does to her victim and what Jeffrey Epstein did to the girls he trafficed.

Gore Vidal had a bit of fun

Published in 1968, this gender bender of a story undoubtedly caused quite a bit of a stir. Gore Vidal had his fun, putting some wild thoughts and sexual fantasies to paper. Nowadays, and since most people know the secret behind Myra, it isn't much of a kick anymore. It's actually often quite tame and petty. Vidal wrote some monumental novels - very much enjoyed Creation, for example, and looking forward to Burr - but this comparatively little novel doesn't stack up - he apparently wrote the first draft in a month - and I think it shows. Still, in its own way it is a classic and I'm glad I checked it out. Well narrated, by the way!

Better Than I Remembered

It's been decades since I read Myra Breckinridge. I recall having enjoyed it but since reading it I watched the absolutely dreadful movie version with Raquel Welsh and Mae West. The movie was so terrible it clouded my memory of the book, melding the two. The book is as good as the movie was bad. Though I'd love to see someone with talent take another stab at creating a film version it's one of those books that's best part is the language of the inner dialog , here written in diary form. Hard to transfer to a movie. Clever, witty and I'm sure very scandalous for the time, it's got me curious of Vidal's other books. Perfect reader choice for this book.

Well performed

Really enjoyed this book. Read it when it originally was published and very much enjoyed rediscovering it again in Audible. Hope Myron will follow shorty.