La Cote Basque, 1965

by Truman Capote

In November 1975, Capote sent shockwaves through the Manhattan elite with the publication of “La Cote Basque, 1965” in Esquire magazine. This was the first chapter of his then in-progress novel, “Answered Prayers.” The swans identities were either thinly veiled or not hidden at all as Capote vividly sketched the skeletons in their closets.

47 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 1975

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.

He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carissimo! she cried. “You’re just what I’m looking for. A lunch date. The duchess stood me up.
La Cote Basque, 1965 ~~ Truman Capote



What did they expect? complained Truman Capote after the publication in Esquire of La Côte Basque 1965, his thinly veiled fictionalized account about his socialite friends. I’m a writer. La Côte Basque 1965 effectively ended Capote's career.

While I do like La Côte Basque 1965 as a piece of writing, it is not nearly as fascinating as the immense betrayal of these ladies by Capote who had befriended him and confided in him.



So, who were these women Capote called his swans that he turned so viciously on?

In Capote's story, a wealthy businessman named Dillon ~~ soon shortened to Dill ~~ so close to Bill ~~ sleeps with the governor's frumpy wife and later tries to scrub away a bloodstain the size of Brazil . Bill Paley was Capote's target, but Babe Paley felt humiliated that her husband's cheating was publicized to the world.

Although Paley was the most injured by the story, the main character is a fictional version of Slim Keith. Keith's first husband was the movie director Howard Hawks, who, legend has it, used her as the model for Lauren Bacall's tough, seductive character in To Have and Have Not, also called Slim. Her second was the producer Leland Hayward, and her third was the British businessman Kenneth Keith, whose knighthood made her Lady Keith.

La Côte Basque 1965 turns Keith into Lady Ina Coolbirth a big breezy peppy broad who lunches with the narrator, PB Jones ~~ a writer and sometime hustler. It is Ina who spills her friends’ secrets, name-dropping Ernest Hemingway & recalling the time Joseph P Kennedy raped her.

Later, Slim Keith said this of her horrified reaction to Lady Ina. She looks like me, she talks like me, she's me! I had adored him, and I was so appalled by the use of friendship and my own bad judgment.



And what of this chapter of Capote's long-awaited and never-to-be-completed Proustian novel Answered Prayers? It’s not so much a story as it is a series of stories as told to Jonesy.

The writing is first rate; the story is engaging. The secrets being spilled are fascinating. Capote always excelled at the short story. This, in my opinion, is good ~~ very good ~~ but not among his best. Were it not for Feud it would have remained largely forgotten.

So, should you read it? ABSOLUTELY!

[annalyse ⋆˙⟡♡]

watching feud: capote vs the swans

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always enjoyed Truman Capote’s writing. This excerpt from Answered Prayers, “La Côte Basque, 1965” is worth the read if you are a fan.

[Mia Saldanha · Rating 3 out of 5]

RIP Truman Capote, you would've loved Deux Moi

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Became almost intolerable towards the end. “Intolerable” is not a word I’m a big fan of as it just seethes with judgement, but I think it applies because that’s all this story contains - judgement. Almost every human gossiped about in this story is name-called and criticized for their size, age, religious identity, sexual orientation, intelligence or perceived lack thereof, physical appearance, emotions, etc. etc. It doesn’t help that in this story Capote also spills the beans on some traumatic events personally experienced by some of his Swan friends, without their permission.

I’m in the midst of a Truman Capote kick, having watched a Hulu documentary about him, followed by listening to “Capote’s Women” on Audible and now reading this Esquire-printed story of his. It’s clear why a story like this would have ended Capote’s friendship with [almost all of the] Swans. Yet he seemed to be surprised that it did. Maybe someone who had so much unaddressed childhood pain wasn’t able to cultivate true compassion for others (and himself) in himself. Maybe what the Swans initially saw as a light and fun gossipy nature in Truman was actually a deep-held belief in humanity’s universal ugliness. When the intensity of his adverse outlook was finally on display for them to see, all they could see was ugliness in him.

I dunno. I wasn’t there. But I’m super pumped to now watch Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'era una volta uno scrittore molto amico di ricche signore che chiamava " i miei Cigni", che lusingava e andava a trovare nelle loro case sparse nel mondo, anche in vacanza. Ne raccoglieva sfoghi e confidenze. E un bel giorno..... mise tutto su carta per pubblicare i loro segreti. Questo fu l'inizio della sua disgrazia. Ne risultò un romanzo incompiuto e pubblicato postumo, di cui questo è un racconto. Un bel racconto, divertente e tragico. Qualcuno dice che con lui, scomparvero anche diversi dei suoi scritti e appunti. Sarà così?

[sophiaxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my faves. he did them SO DIRTY. this is why i prefer the company of lesbians.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

god truman, you would’ve loved dramageddon