By chance, I ended up with three books by Wolfe: Hooking Up, A Man in Full and The Bonfire of Vanities. I started reading the newest one, Hooking Up and, although he exposes some fascinating bits of US history and culture (for example, the history of Silicon Valley) I feel rather uneasy with his political opinons that frankly feel outdated and seems to be summed up as "Americans forgot how to be Americans".
I was wondering, how much this lingers on his fiction? I remember enjoying the movie adaptation of Bonfire of Vanities as a teen, so I was excited to read it but I worry his politics overshadow any artistic merits both novels have. I know politics evolve and that many great works had quite a dose of the author's personal opinions, but sometimes said opinions can overrun and ruin the appreciation of said work and that's what I worry about.
I was wondering, how much this lingers on his fiction? I remember enjoying the movie adaptation of Bonfire of Vanities as a teen, so I was excited to read it but I worry his politics overshadow any artistic merits both novels have. I know politics evolve and that many great works had quite a dose of the author's personal opinions, but sometimes said opinions can overrun and ruin the appreciation of said work and that's what I worry about.