The real name of Gore Vidal’s life-long boyfriend

In a November 2006 article in the Guardian about Gore Vidal’s memoir, Jay Parini writes:

The book deals in elegiac tones with the death of Vidal’s long-time partner, Howard Auster (who went by the name Austen during his adult life—a change suggested by Vidal when Howard had difficulty finding a job in the 50s due to his Jewish name). Howard was gentle and witty and one of the most decent people I’ve ever met. His loss was terrible for Gore, and for everyone who knew him.

Now, Auster is a fairly rare name. For example, until recent years there were only about three Austers in the Manhattan phone book. Furthermore, it would not seem to stand out as a particularly Jewish-sounding name. So it seems unbelievable that Howard Auster would have had difficulty finding a job in the 1950s because of his “Jewish name.” I suspect Vidal’s explanation of the reason for the name change is fake—an example of the left-wing tactic of exaggerating the WASP anti-Jewish and anti-“white ethnic” prejudice of the past, as was done, viciously and gratituitously, in the recent movies The Good Shepherd and Charlie Wilson’s War.

In fact, I heard years ago that the reason Vidal urged Howard Auster to change his name was that Vidal himself didn’t like the name because it was Jewish-sounding.

By the way, I have nothing against people changing their name, if they don’t like their given name. I think people have the right to have a name that feels right for them personally and also a name that is not awkward, outlandish, or difficult to pronounce.

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Alan Levin writes:

I think you were on target in your comments on Vidal and Howard Auster. You are right: Auster is neither a common nor particularly Jewish-sounding name. You are also right about the excessive bleating about WASP anti-Semitism.

Moreover, hasn’t Vidal himself made overtly anti-Semitic remarks?

Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 28, 2008 12:03 PM | Send