The latest edition of Washington Post book critic Ron Charles' weekly Book Club newsletter (free to join even if you're not a Post subscriber, and highly recommended) contains this timely item (into which I've inserted a few comments within brackets). Enjoy!
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Truman Capote’s birth. The celebrated author was born in New Orleans on Sept. 30, 1924.
We just don’t make characters like him anymore. His first book, an autobiographical novel called “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” was a bestseller in 1948 when he was 23 years old. Even his sultry author photo caused a stir.
Esquire published “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” [which we discussed in 2014] in November 1958. (Harper’s was originally set to publish it but got into a tiff with the author over his language.) Three years later, the novella was immortalized in a film adaptation directed by Blake Edwards with Audrey Hepburn playing Holly Golightly.
Capote’s 1966 bestseller, “In Cold Blood” [which we discussed earlier this year]— first serialized in The New Yorker — is considered a seminal example of “a nonfiction novel” (whatever that is). The accuracy of his story about the murder of a family in Kansas was the subject of fierce debate. In any case, he never published another novel. A few screenplays, articles and short stories followed, but just being Truman Capote became his central employment. [We discussed Answered Prayers in 2015.]
My first exposure to Capote’s work was playing the part of Buddy in a rendition of his oft-anthologized story “A Christmas Memory” during the annual Christmas Sing at my exceedingly conservative Christian prep school in St. Louis. Afterward, the audience enjoyed pieces of fruitcake. For the holidays, at least, we had a strict Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.
Thirty years later when I came to The Washington Post, folks were still whispering about the Black and White Ball that Capote threw in 1966 in honor of our legendary publisher Katharine Graham.
Though he died in 1984, Capote is still throwing around his generosity. Several schools, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Cornell and the University of Alabama continue to receive money from the Truman Capote Literary Trust.
And the books keep coming (details). Look for a new edition of “A Christmas Memory” from Modern Library on Oct. 8, and a fresh edition of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” from Vintage early next year. (There are T-shirts, too.)
The 92nd Street Y and Modern Library are planning a special event entitled “Truman Capote: A Centenary Celebration” on Dec. 5. It won’t be the Black and White Ball, but at least you can get a ticket (attend or stream). ❖
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