Too Brief a Treat: The Letters of Truman Capote

by Truman Capote, Gerald Clarke (Editor)

The private letters of Truman Capote, lovingly assembled here for the first time by acclaimed Capote biographer Gerald Clarke, provide an intimate, unvarnished portrait of one of the twentieth century’s most colorful and fascinating literary figures.

Capote was an inveterate letter writer. He wrote letters as he spoke: emphatically, spontaneously, and passionately. Spanning more than four decades, his letters are the closest thing we have to a Capote autobiography, showing us the uncannily self-possessed naïf who jumped headlong into the post–World War II New York literary scene; the more mature Capote of the 1950s; the Capote of the early 1960s, immersed in the research and writing of In Cold Blood; and Capote later in life, as things seem to be unraveling.

With cameos by a veritable who’s who of twentieth-century glitterati, Too Brief a Treat shines a spotlight on the life and times of an incomparable American writer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Queer, LGBT, American, History

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Federico DN · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was no Treat!

An assembled collection of private letters by famed Truman Capote that he sent to his friends and colleges over the decades; all brought together, creating a sort of personal diary that allows us to take a peek into the private life of the good man and appreciate the lauded author in a much more intimate way.

Are you a fan of Capote and enjoy his works? Good! Then this book may be just for you! Me on the other hand, I HATED it. Capote may be a superlative acclaimed author but dang the man can be insufferable as hell sometimes. Most of the letters is just gossip of who did this and who was that. I HATE gossip, and even more, BORING gossip. This is one of my most hated books ever, and I’d have never read this but it was a gift, and I’m stupid enough to read anything that is given to me.

On a personal note I must admit I lost a good friend soon after I trashed this book on FB, where I used to post reviews for my irl friends before knowing about GR; it wasn’t a close friend mind you but, still a friend. Oh well; live and learn.

I still want to read his so called masterpiece “In Cold Blood”; but it’s not currently on my priority list and I’ve already watched the film so, I’ll get there, someday. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” too, that one soon.

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PERSONAL NOTE : Thank you Meli! Miss you! Really!
[2004] [512p] [Non Fiction] [Highly Not Recommendable]
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¡Esto no fue un Placer!

Una ensamblada colección de cartas privadas por el famoso Truman Capote que envió a sus amigos y colegas durante décadas; traídas todas juntas, creado una especie de diario personal que nos permite echar un vistazo en la vida privada del buen señor y apreciar el laureado autor en una forma mucho más íntima.

¿Sos fan de Capote y disfrutás de sus obras? ¡Qué bueno! ¡Entonces este libro podría ser justo para vos! Yo por el otro lado, ODIE esto. Capote puede ser un superlativo aclamado autor pero diablos que el hombre puede ser terriblemente insufrible a veces. La mayor parte de las cartas son sólo chismes de quién hizo esto y quién fue ese. ODIO el chismerío, y más aún, chismerío ABURRIDO. Este es uno de mis más odiados libros, y jamás hubiera leído esto pero es que fue un regalo, y soy lo suficientemente estúpido como para leer cualquier cosa que me dan.

En una nota personal debo admitir que perdí una buena amiga poco tiempo después de difamar este libro en FB, donde solía postear reseñas para mis amigos irl antes de conocer GR; no es que fuera una amiga muy cercana dicho sea de paso pero, era una amiga. Qué se le va a hacer; vive y aprende.

Todavía quiero leer su supuesta obra maestra “A Sangre Fría”; pero no está actualmente en mi lista de prioridades y ya vi la película así que, ya llegaré ahí, algún día. “Desayuno en Tiffany” también, ese pronto.

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NOTA PERSONAL : ¡Gracias Meli! ¡Te extraño! ¡De verdad!
[2004] [512p] [No Ficción] [Altamente No Recomendable]
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[Eliana Rivero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Challenge Pop Sugar 2017
36. Un libro escrito por alguien a quien admires

Eres lo mejor que me ha pasado. Te admiro y respeto muchísimo. Y creo que eso es más importante que amarte. Se puede amar por motivos superficiales y equivocados. Y yo a ti te quiero por los mejores y más acertados (p.677). Carta a Jack Dunphy, 5 de julio de 1972.

Disculpen si esto se hace muy personal, pero debo decir que admiro a Truman Capote. Si han visto mis lecturas, mis reseñas e, incluso, si han visto la lista de mis autores favoritos, se darán cuenta que Truman Capote (1924-1984) es de mis escritores más queridos. Hará unos 9 años que leí A sangre fría y me cambió la vida, el mundo, la perspectiva de verlo todo, aumentó mi amor por la lectura y los libros. En fin, que como buena fan que es una, compré este libro muy emocionada. No me ha decepcionado. Es impecable, como la mayor parte de su prosa que he tenido la dicha de leer.

Un placer fugaz es una recopilación de cartas hecha por Gerard Clarke (biógrafo de Capote). Aquí vemos la más amorosa relación de amistad que tuvo Truman con varios personajes del arte norteamericano: Cecil Beaton, Carson McCullers, Tenesse Williams, William Goyen, Newton Arvin (y algo más), Mary Lou Answell, etcétera. También hay algunas cartas a familiares y amigos fuera de la literatura: Alvin y Marie Dewey, Arch Persons. Me fui adentrando en la vida privada de Capote, y fui conociendo a estas personas desconocidas para mí, que luego se volvieron, de alguna forma, cercanas. Cabe destacar que muchas de esas amistades se fueron rompiendo con el tiempo.

Además, también hay cotilleo y chismes, porque sin polémica y habladurías, Truman no sería Truman. Le encanta hablar y enterarse sobre yates, vacaciones y vida de estrellas de Hollywood (Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, y más). Sin embargo, tiene unas descollantes reflexiones sobre el arte, la escritura, el amor y la vida. Por ejemplo:

[...]A día de hoy ser artista es un acto de fe enorme: no devuelve nada salvo la satisfacción del arte en sí[...](p.200). Carta a Leo Lerman, 26 de julio de 1950.

Ojalá fuera un escritor que escribe y no solo reescribe. La autocrítica es buena, pero no cuando llega a las proporciones a que yo he llegado; entonces es simplemente un tumor que va consumiendo toda la confianza en uno mismo (p.423). Carta a Donald Windham, 8 de septiembre de 1959.

No se puede enseñar a escribir. Solo se puede aprender escribiendo, y leyendo. Leyendo buenos libros de artistas de verdad, hasta que entiendas porqué son buenos (p.613-614). Carta a Alvin Dewey III, 25 de mayo de 1964.

La mayoría de escritores que empiezan lo hacen, al parecer porque tienen la impresión de que la buena escritura es la más vistosa. Y no es así. Centra tus esfuerzoz en la simplicidad. Generalmente, la mejor palabra es la normal y cotidiana (p.622). Carta a Alvin Dewey III, 30 de julio de 1964.

Siento que mi lado fangirl salga, pero es que Truman Capote para mí es un maestro de la palabra. Me encanta su compromiso, su entrega y su trabajo en la escritura, en la literatura. Si bien es cierto que logro verle dos lados al mismo ser: el escritor atormentado por el perfeccionamiento de su arte y el escritor hecho estrella de rock, que llama la atención y le encanta la fama. Mención especial debo hacer a las cartas donde se toca el tema de A sangre fría y a Perry Smith. Creo que realmente ese libro le trastornó la vida, más allá de que haya sido un aprovechador u oportunista en cuanto a sacar toda la información para su obra maestra. Hay mucho de lo que se puede hablar de la vida de Truman, pero es incuestionable su trabajo y talento como escritor. En fin, que disfruté mucho esta lectura y siempre digo que le den la oportunida a este autor.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great if you:
1. Love Truman Capote
2. Are exhaustedly curious
3. Like inconsequential nonsense

Obviously, I liked it.

[Shannon Yarbrough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mille Tendresse

I've been a fan of Truman Capote since I first discovered him in college when I read George Plimpton's book about him. Being from the South, I had an immediate connection with Truman as a Southern Literary great. Over the years, I have read and reread his work. I have never read Clark's biography of Capote but I intend to some day. Too Brief a Treat is indeed that - a nice treat for anyone who is a fan. It is a collection of letters dating all the way back to when Truman was a child and wrote a letter to his father telling him his name was now Capote and that he should be addressed as such.

The book is divided into 3 sections. If you are familiar with Truman, then you will understand my reference in saying that the three sections are pre-Kansas, Kansas, and post-Kansas. In the first section, we see Truman working on pieces for magazines, various essays, his first book, Breakfast at Tiffany's, plays, and screenplays. He writes from Yaddo, and eventually after meeting Jack Dunphy most of his letters are written from overseas. There's lots of gossip, famous name dropping, mention of other authors, feuds and travel. Truman writes to friends and colleagues and his letters are always cheerful and full of love (often signed with what I used as the title of my review).

The largest section is composed almost entirely of letters written while Truman was working on In Cold Blood. Here, we see Truman growing older and anxiously waiting five years for Smith and Hickock (who committed the Clutter murders) to be executed so that he can write the end of his book. It's obvious from his tone how much this project absorbed him. He writes countless letters to the Dewey family, who befriended him in Kansas and helped him with research. He even gives their son writing advice. Not one single letter to Harper Lee though throughout this time which I found sad. He also writes to Perry Smith in prison, and his tone to Smith is much different than when he mentions him in letters to others!

Finally, the last section where the letters get smaller (thanks in part to the telephone). Truman writes of his rehab problems, a car accident, and several literary feuds he had with other writers and their lawyers. We find Truman in the states more often and spending less time with Jack. There are quite a few letters to Jack in the last section. A sad cable to Jack closes the book in the early 80s. Truman died in 1984.

Being one sided, and we as a reader are ease-dropping, it takes a lot of patience to keep reading. I was never bored though, never skipped around. It definitely gave me better insight to this man who I have admired for so long, and made me want to pick up his short stories and reread them. There are wonderful and numerous footnotes throughout; Clark does a great job of explaining who is who or what is happening. For anyone who is a fan of TC or just a fan of letters anyway, I highly recommend this book!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew just reading letters could give you a complete picture of a person?! The editor chose the letters perfectly, to give a sense of time, place and personality. If you like Truman Capote, or are just fascinated by him, or you long for the days when letter writing was an art, then this book is for you.

[Gingerholli · Rating 5 out of 5]

My obsession with Truman Capote continues.

[Juan Escobar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Un placer fugaz" es la correspondencia de uno de los mejores escritores del siglo pasado, donde, si te has leído algunas de sus obras, estas cartas recopiladas entre sus amigos y escogidas y puestas en orden cronológico en un libro de 700 paginas, sirven para terminar de sellar la mirada 360° grados a un autor que tenia magia en los dedos gracias a ser un disciplinado trabajador de las letras, el ritmo y las historias.

… porque para mi es importante que la gente escriba de un modo precioso, ahora mas que nunca, ya que el mundo esta loco y lo único cuerdo es el arte, lo que ha sido constatado una y otra vez: cuando se retiran las ruinas de una civilización lo único que queda son los poemas, los cuadros, la escultura, los libros.

Claro, es la obra que donde más descubre a un autor excesivo, excéntrico, exquisito... y ya cuando alguien se le describe con tres palabras que llevan equis (y eso que me faltó excelente), la cosa pinta muy bien ... en fin, en estas cartas es donde uno se da cuenta de lo hijodeputa que era, de lo falso y mentiroso que era, y al mismo tiempo, pagina a pagina te enteras de lo amoroso, caluroso y hermoso era como ser humano.

Ojalá llevara un diario, porque ahora sería exquisito reeleerlo justo por esta página.

Salió del sur profundo de Estados Unidos a New York, y luego al mundo, y volvía a su tierra para volverse a ir... se emborrachó, tuvo sexo e hizo amigos en todas partes... Tuvo una gran vida, supongo que logró vivir como siempre soñó, pero tuvo que pagar el precio que cobra el glamour y las amistades de la alta sociedad cuando la mascara de campesino poeta se descubre.

Estoy convencido de que lo que necesitamos es un poco de azul egeo.

Y por último, si aún dudas en leer este mamotreto de la literatura más personal de Truman Capote, es un cursito hermoso de escritura, pues lo escribió un perfeccionista de la técnica de contar historias con palabras.

El estilo es lo que a uno le parece natural. Es un largo proceso de descubrimiento que nunca tiene fin. Yo sigo trabajando en ello, y seguiré haciéndolo hasta el día que muera.

[Lee Battersby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Capote is a fascinating figure, but too often this collection of letters reveal him as a shallow, bitchy little creature lacking the depth and, at times, puckish brilliance of his humour that can be seen so readily in other treatments of the man. Clarke does little to help: annotations are sparse and perfunctory at best, offering almost no insight and very little collateral information. As a simple collection of letters written by a famous author this book turns up, does the job, and gets out again with a minimum of fuss. But there was an opportunity here for the compiler to weave a greater narrative, to use the letters as the basis of a study into a compelling character in that character's own words, and ultimately the book feels like an opportunity lost. really only worthwhile as a companion piece to a fuller biography, rather than as a stand-alone volume.

[Ana Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quase uma autobiografia de Truman Capote.
Ler as cartas que foi escrevendo durante toda a sua vida para pessoas que a maioria não conhecemos nem sempre é fácil .
Por vezes torna-se monótono e cansativo .
Gostei sobretudo de acompanhar o período em que o escritor fez a sua obra prima “ In cold blood” -“A sangue frio “ livro de que gostei muito .
Sente-se em cada carta o muito que trabalhou e se cansou para conseguir um resultado brilhante :
Homossexual assumido leva-nos por um meio social de escritores e actores de cinema e teatro , de editores e directores de jornais e revistas , de “glamour” e de excentricidades e de dívidas e de processos , de grandes amizades e ódios , de amores e desamores .
Vidas para nós estranhas .
Interessante q.b.

[Dustincecil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took my time with this, and read his short stories along side of these letters, from the times they were written.

A lot of great snippets here- but overall, generally sorta heartbreaking.

[Francesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pasticcino. Angelo. Dolce magnolia. Fanciullo mio diletto. Radioso. Tesoruccio. Cuore. Questi sono solo alcuni dei numerosi epiteti con cui lo scrittore Truman Capote si rivolgeva ai destinatari delle sue lettere. Per la prima volta sono state tutte raccolte nel volume È durata poco la bellezza (edito da Garzanti, pp.608 €28), curato da Gerard Clarke. Il risultato è una contro-narrazione che svela l’intimità dell’autore di Colazione da Tiffany, senza celarne la fame di gloria e la depressione.

«Truman Capote scriveva ai suoi amici nello stesso modo in cui parlava, senza freni, inibizioni o ricercatezze formali», commenta il curatore (che nel 1988 ne ha scritto la biografia, edita da Frassinelli) e sfogliare questo volume somiglia all’atto di lanciarsi in una pesca miracolosa. Sessant’anni di missive, scovate fra collezioni private e biblioteche in giro per gli Stati Uniti, partendo dalla prima, scritta a dodici anni, nel 1936: «Come sai il mio cognome è cambiato da Persons in Capote, pertanto apprezzerei se in futuro ti rivolgessi a me come Truman Capote». Dopo il divorzio dei genitori, Truman è stato adottato dal patrigno Joe, e con questa lettera taglia i ponti con il padre. L’ultima, altrettanto breve e potente, è un telegramma per Jack Dunphy. Correva l’anno 1982: «mi manchi ho bisogno di te telegrafami per quando ti posso aspettare». Il destinatario è l’amore di una vita, il suo compagno per 35 anni, lo scrittore Jack Dunphy con cui condivise tutto, il successo travolgente di A sangue freddo – sul quadruplice omicidio di una famiglia nel Kansas nel 1959 – e l’inesorabile parabola discendente che l’avrebbe spazzato via. Ma prima c’è stato un successo sfolgorante.

Svezzato al New Yorker come tuttofare (inizialmente aveva il preciso compito di temperare le matite), spiccò il volo e viaggiò per il mondo con Jack, spedendo e ricevendo lettere a piè sospinto e quando pensò d’avercela fatta commise l’errore di mordere la mano che lo vezzeggiava. Capote è ritratto in centinaia di scatti durante fastosi balli di gala con i divi del Novecento, da Maria Callas a Marlene Dietrich, era ospite fisso delle crociere degli Agnelli ma dopo venti giorni a bordo, sbarcando, diceva d’essersi annoiato, tanto che l’unica tappa interessante era l’Harry’s Bar a Venezia (lo rivela perfidamente Alberto Arbasino, nella prefazione del Meridiano all’autore americano).

Capriccioso ed eccentrico, talento puro dal carattere irriverente, scrivendo Preghiere esaudite voleva firmare l’opera definitiva. Uscirà postumo, composto di soli quattro capitoli che prima vennero anticipati sui giornali, pagine al vetriolo in cui non risparmiava nessuno, da Gloria Vanderbilt a Happy Rockefeller e Mona von Bismark. Fu il suo volo d’Icaro. Nel tentativo di inchiodare i vizi del jet set newyorchese sotto falsi nomi (“sono troppo scemi. Non se ne accorgeranno”, rivela George Plimpton, autore di una biografia al vetriolo), il bel mondo che lo aveva accolto gli chiuse le porte in faccia e lui precipitò in un buco nero d’alcolismo e tossicodipendenza.

Ma prima di tutto questo c’è stato un sognatore, un uomo affascinato dalla bellezza e le lettere più candide sono quelle italiane. Prima che l’intima amicizia con Harper Lee (l’autrice de Il buio oltre la siepe) si raffreddasse, prima che tutto venisse corrotto dal successo e dall’invidia – per celebrare A sangue freddo organizzò un party al Plaza Hotel di New York, con 500 invitati – fra il 1949 e il 1959, con Jack visse per dieci anni in area mediterranea. Brevi soste a Venezia, Firenze, Roma (in una lettera racconta che «un esponente della prostituzione locale» aveva svaligiato la casa romana dello scrittore Tennesse Williams) e poi Ischia, dove rimarranno tre mesi, fra nuotate e passeggiate in carrozza; e ancora, una tappa a Tangeri e nell’estate del ’53, Portofino, «un bel posto soprattutto se fossimo ancora le ragazzine che eravamo un tempo. Yacht e milionari ovunque». E finalmente, ecco Taormina, nella stessa casa che 25 anni prima era stata di D. H. Lawrence. A quel tempo Capote era l’astro nascente della narrativa americana e stava cominciando il suo secondo romanzo, L’arpa d’erba (pubblicato nel 1951) ma economicamente le cose si misero maluccio e per non dover rientrare a casa, si trovò «a lavorare al salvataggio di due sceneggiature», fra cui Stazione Termini di Vittorio De Sica. Quel decennio italiano lo avrebbe consacrato con la scrittura di Colazione da Tiffany (1958) ma sul grande schermo, per il ruolo di Holly Golightly, avrebbe voluto la prosperosa Marilyn Monroe, non Audrey Hepburn e lui si arrabbiò al punto che vagheggiò persino di far causa alla produzione. Per fortuna, lo fermarono in tempo.

Ecco, da un epistolario ci aspettiamo incredibili rivelazioni e colpi di scena, forse persino una chiave di lettura che ribalti tutto ciò che credevamo di sapere sul grande romanziere americano che venne elogiato da Norman Mailer e finì i suoi giorni nel 1984, in preda all’alcool e alla depressione.

Invece, la grande bellezza di questa raccolta è proprio il suo essere deliziosamente frivola, inconcludente, piena di errori ortografici - per la fretta quasi compulsiva di non rompere il flusso di lettere, chiarisce il curatore - di capricci e pettegolezzi, capace di restituirci ampie porzioni della vita intima di Capote. E intanto lo seguiamo a zonzo per il mondo, affamato di gloria, perfido ma bisognoso d’un amore puro, proustiano, un sentimento raro come l’unicorno bianco, irraggiungibile per la maggior parte degli esseri mani che lui assaggiò nei tre decenni con Jack Dunphy. Eppure, non bastò a renderlo felice.

[Isabella]

Larger than life, an artist in all senses of the word. This collection is only for those who already know and love Capote; it would be a poor introduction, to say the least. But for those not faint of heart, this book is a beautiful look into the life of a truly singular author. Upon finishing it, I only wish there were more letters or context to flesh out the moments skipped over due to correspondence lost to time.

[Wendell Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interminable! I am a big fan of Capote’s writing and am trying to read everything he has written, but these letters were sort of like trying to read his grocery lists. Some were interesting but I thought that at times the book would never end! Mr. Clarke is a thorough researcher but I really did not need all of these details. But my quest to read more continues…

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quina llàstima haver fet ja un TFG, un TFM i una tesi per a este home perque ho tornaria a fer. Hilarant, agut, molt viu i tant humà. M'ho he passat molt i molt bé.

[Helen Pavlopoulou · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Οταν πήγα στη δανειστική βιβλιοθήκη να πάρω το “Πρόγευμα στο Τίφανις”, με ρώτησε η υπεύθυνη αν ήθελα να μου δώσει και την Αλληλογραφία του Τρούμαν. Συμφώνησα αλλά μέσα μου είχα μια αμφιβολία για το πόσο βαρετό μπορεί να είναι ένα τόσο ογκώδες βιβλίο (όπως το συγκεκριμένο) που είναι γεμάτο μόνο με αλληλογραφία. Ε, λοιπόν, έκανα λάθος. 'Ηταν από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει. Ευτυχώς ο Καπότε είχε φυσικό χάρισμα, όχι μόνο στη συγγραφή βιβλίων αλλά και στο κουτσομπολιό, και στις ανεπιτήδευτες επιστολές του, λες και δεν θα έβλεπαν ποτέ το φως της δημοσιότητας. Ποτέ δεν περίμενα να διαβάσω τόσο γαργαλιστικές, σοκαριστικές, αποκαλυπτικές λεπτομέρειες για τόσους διάσημους συγγραφείς, ηθοποιούς κ.λ.π. εκείνης της εποχής. Ο Αντρέ Ζιντ, Ο Τένεσι Γουίλιαμς, Ο Χέμινγουεϊ, Ο Τσάρλι Τσάπλιν, Ο Γουίλιαμ Στάιρον και άλλοι παρελαύνουν στις σελίδες αυτού του βιβλίου με την ανθρώπινη πλευρά τους και τα πάθη τους. 'Εχει, επίσης, μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον και η ατελείωτη περιπλάνηση του Τρούμαν Καπότε για να γράψει τα βιβλία του και ειδικά τα χρόνια που έγραφε το “Εν ψυχρώ” και τι του στοίχισε η συγγραφή αυτού του βιβλίου. Την προτείνω την αλληλογραφία του λοιπόν, μην φοβηθείτε το μέγεθός της, σου κρατάει αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον μέχρι το τέλος.

[Céline · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boring book with quite few juicy story, only merely entertaining; beside his CLI (chaîne des Liaisons internationales, at page 218).

So NOT a must read!

Who is the damned who recommend it to me??

This sentence can resume this entire book: "Si un roman ou une nouvelle vous ennuie, il vaut mieux l'abandonner" (page 491).

So yes, this book bored me, I should have been thrown it away.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compilado epistolar a lo largo de toda su vida por parte del escritor norteamericano. Su lectura hubiera sido más amena si incluído las respuestas de algunas cartas por parte de los destinatarios.
La correspondencia devela algunos de sus momentos creativos durante el desarrollo de 'A sangre fría' y 'Música para camaleones'.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a masterful insight into the mind of a truly talented writer. Must read for all Capote fans.

[Mariana Freitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitivamente, ler as cartas de Truman Capote é um prazer, se não tanto fugaz, certamente também não muito fácil (na falta de termo melhor). Vi algumas resenhas reclamando a respeito das cartas serem de certa forma esparsas, mas não vejo isso como desvantagem da compilação. Compreendo que a intenção tenha sido apresentar as cartas de forma cronológica, para que pudesse surgir uma espécie de 'biografia' orgânica do conjunto. Claro, há incontáveis referências a pessoas, lugares, acontecimentos, obras artísticas de todo tipo - pelo que é impossível apreender tudo. Mas, sim: ali está a vida de Capote. Das menores insignificâncias às grandes exasperações. A angúsita/expectativa durante a criação de A sangue frio é particularmente interessante - mesmo sabendo o desfecho de tudo - do julgamento, da finalização do livro, de sua recepção e consagração internacional, sofremos junto no labirinto de apelações judiciais que envolveram o caso e adiaram o final do livro durante praticamente seis anos.
Fica também patente também o Capote exuberante das festas, viagens, da hight society, do glamour e escândalos, do disse-me-disse, da fina flor cultural/intelectual dos anos 40 aos 'early 80s'; sem prejuízo, contudo, de um Truman extremamente amoroso, que nunca deixa de brincar com seus interlocutores, demonstrar zelo e atenção às minúcias da convivência, oferecer afagos e agrados, tramar encontros e disponibilizar oportunidades, sempre iniciando e encerrando suas missivas com uma profusão de adjetivos carinhosos, como um menino do interior, um coração revelado, uma figura indubitavelmente extraordinária.

[Miki85 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le lettere di Truman Capote sono scritte senza freni inibitori e senza alcuna ricerca di una prosa formale o modulata. Ciò le rende delle autentiche testimonianze di tutti gli stati d’animo provati e vissuti dall’indimenticabile artista nato a New Orleans nel 1924 e morto nel 1984 a Los Angeles.
Assistiamo in presa diretta al racconto che lo scrittore fa ai suoi amici mentre è al lavoro su romanzi come “Altre voci, altre stanze” e il più fortunato “L’arpa d’erba“. Alla descrizione tramite missiva che Capote fa del suo lavoro si accompagna sempre la descrizione della vita quotidiana vissuta in tutte le sfumature che l’animo umano può conoscere.
Illuminante è stato apprendere di quale fosse la percezione dell’omosessualità negli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta, soprattutto in Italia e, più nello specifico, in Sicilia, dove Capote e il suo compagno vissero per molto tempo.
La terza e ultima parte è quasi totalmente dominata dall’ossessivo lavoro di Truman Capote su quello che sarebbe stato il primo romanzo di genere true crime, “A sangue freddo”, che sancì la definitiva consacrazione artistica di Capote in America e nel mondo.
“E’ durata poco la bellezza” è un modo originale e autentico di conoscere Truman Capote, autore di capolavori come “Colazione da Tiffany“, “A sangue freddo” e per sempre destinato a brillare nel firmamento letterario e artistico mondiale.
Potete leggere la recensione completa sul blog (link in bio).

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letters usually tell us a little about the personality of their author or the times they come from. These letters, all sent by Capote over his lifetime, give us a glimpse the man, and these are mostly very entertaining, providing light gossip and some nuts and bolts information about publishing and editors. Indeed the best of these letters tend to be to various book people during the writing of In Cold Blood as Capote attends to deadlines details about book jackets, blurbs, proofreading etc. Less interesting are letters sent to various non-literary persons, but the delight of "reading" a book of correspondence is allowing yourself to skip over the dull parts.

One last observation: Capote wrote at a time when correspondence was dying and the letters themselves fade away in length and frequency. As Capote became more famous, and the drinking and drugs took greater hold, the letters become mere postcards, sent from unfamiliar locales, and only a few times a year. It seems Capote preferred the telephone to catch up on gossip and get business done. I doubt future writers would ever leave a cache of letters as rich as this volume.

[Tait Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read the personal correspondence of a writer as dynamic, talented, and capricious as Truman Capote is almost more delicious than reading a biography. At least here, a mystery remains, much like the imprint left on a page after a hasty but deliberate pencil erasure. We don't get the whole story - only Truman's side, complete with outright untruths and delicate massaging of impressionable facts. This volume was delightful, and if you possess even an iota of interest in this man's personal life, you simply MUST read his letters.

[Jesse S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent editing!

[Erin Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific. I love gossip.

[Pius · Rating 4 out of 5]

mein baby

[Adriana]

http://evitandointensidades.blogspot....

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointment. You can read the best bits in the introduction, notably about Capote's "International Daisy Chain," a game of six-degrees separation but with lovers. The rest is overly brief and snide, no good one-liners or bitchy take-downs.

[Anna Hasselqvist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step into the world of Truman Capote, one of the most important novelists in 20th century America. He wrote lovely stories such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and coined the term "non-fiction" with his book "In cold blood". He was openly gay and known as an extravagant celebrité, though he struggled with alcohol and feelings of inferiority.

First of all: this is a book one reads if one has a keen interest in Capote the person. It is not easy to get through a collection of letters otherwise imo.

What does this collection of letters capture? It starts off with letters of joy and anticipation from the young aspiring author who is growing rapidly with the amount of success and attention his early works get. He has a large number of friends who he writes to, he mingles with celebrities and editors, and he works hard. By his late 20s/early 30s he is at the hight of his career, living in Europe with his partner, and striving for a piece of work that will be his legacy.

Capote finds a calling in writing "in cold blood", an indepth documentation of a real-life mass murder in a small southern US town. (Personally, this is some of the most accomplished writing I have ever read.) Famously, he had problems finishing this book due to a long appeals process where the murderers tried to get their death sentence revoked. What's cool is that all of this is right there in the letters. The struggle, the diva tendencies, the anticipation, the inferiority complex.

And then we are left with the last chapter - a collection of short notes, sent to the few friends he has left in the last days of alcoholism and isolation. And in full, this collection becomes like a Greek tale of glory and failure. A documentation of life and death.

And this is what makes this book and absolute must read for those who love Capotes work. In addition, I think it is worthwhile for any aspiring author to get their hands on this book as well, as so much of it is about the art of writing. Maybe niche, but anyone interested in the sphere of writers in NY during the 40s-70s would find much joy in this one too.

[Kharen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tengo más o menos la estatura de una escopeta, y soy igual de estrepitoso

La correspondencia íntima de un artista de las letras. Truman Capote no sólo construyó frases memorables para publicar, sino que era igual de exquisito para contar sus amores y odios, para halagar a los amigos y rajar de los enemigos.

Antes la muerte en Venecia que la vida en Hollywood

Entonces leer sus cartas es un placer similar a disfrutar su literatura, con el añadido de poder chismosear los caminos recorridos mientras escribía tal o cual libro, los paisajes que lo rodearon...

El agua es tan azul y cristalina como el ojo de una sirena

Truman era un manipulador muy hábil, se puede uno dar cuenta, por los tiempos e intensidad de sus cartas, a que personas necesitaba en un momento determinado y como los engolosinaba con sus preciosas palabras; pero es también la oportunidad de verlo construir hermosas amistades que cultivaba con mimo, con chismes, con un montón de amor...

Ojalá llevara un diario, porque ahora sería exquisito releerlo justo por esa página

Y entre tanto brillo y espectaculo, entre los escándalos de sus amigos fashion, sus recuerdos de Alabama y el campesino sencillo que se dejaba asomar de vez en vez; entre las tristezas familiares, el amor eterno de Jack Dunphy y las anécdotas jocosas de sus tantas mascotas; vemos sobretodo un escritor serio, un disciplinado de las letras, obsesionado con la perfección de su arte.

Por otra parte, no dudes de que en mi cabeza solo hay espacio para el libro. Todos estos viajes es como si los hiciera en sueños

Después de haber leído su obra con atención y especular sobre las etapas de su escritura, es también la oportunidad de confirmar cómo lo afectaron sus libros, sus búsquedas, su crecimiento y la depresión posterior a "A sangre fría".

Nunca se sabrá lo que "In Cold Blood" me ha robado- decía-. Me erosionó hasta llegar al tuétano de los huesos

Por si faltara algo está lleno de recomendaciones de buenas lecturas como un compendio de rastros sobre la escritura y un curso sobre la buena literatura.

No se puede enseñar a escribir. Solo se puede aprender escribiendo, y leyendo. Leyendo buenos libros de artistas de verdad, hasta que entiendas por qué son buenos

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The letters really convey so much about Truman's (we're on a first name basis by now!) vibrant, vulnerable, curious, gossipy, and sometimes downright bitchy personality. Indispensable for understanding the man, and should be read along with Gerald Clarke's biography and of course, all of his works. He is a writer who will come alive in your head.