First published in 1948, Gore Vidal s THE CITY AND THE PILLAR was one of the first novels depicting positive gay subject matter to reach a mainstream audience. Structured around a love affair, Vidals novel depicts one mans experiences in the gay scenes of California and New York; the central relationship was based on his own boyhood love for his best friend, who was killed in World War II and to whom Vidal dedicated THE CITY AND THE PILLAR . Because of its homosexual themes, the book alienated critics, and Vidal found his writing career problematic for several years thereafter.