Customer Reviews

Conversations With Capote

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This is a great bed-side reader. Well, maybe not, because, once you start reading, you may not be able to put it down. Truman Capote started out as a celebrated, controversial writer, became the "enfante terrible", and spent his final years as a sad, outrageous, drug addicted talk show guest, more known for his scathing celebrity, his writing glory a thing of the past. He first achieved renown for his breakthrough novel, "Other Voices, Other Rooms", which was one of the first books to dare have a homosexual undercurrent, but is probably most well known for his classic bestseller, "In Cold Blood", about the brutal slayings of a midwest family, and, just as much about their slayers, two loser drifters whom Capote unjudgingly befriended. By the time these interviews were conducted, by "Playboy" interviewer Lawrence Grobel, Capotes literary fame had preceded him, and he had become, to many, an outrageous joke. While his public deterioration was sad and shocking...he often appeared on television or at appearances "under the influence", during his more lucid times, his observations were still unpredictably entertaining. How much actual writing he did during the last ten years or so of his life is widely speculated, his ability to do so maybe ended. But, back to this book....During these conducted interviews, Capote talks about the things he has done, and those he has known... he socialized with the most famous of his day, though how much of what he said was fact or fiction has been questioned by many. To say he is sometimes mean spirited is an understatement. If he liked you, he really liked you, but, if not, oh my....watch out. You would be verbally splayed for all to see. His comments were meant to shock, and they certainly achieved their desired effect. But they are done so brilliantly and outrageously that you can only cackle at his daring to say what no one else dared even think. He had no problem, when asked here about certain fellow writers or acquaintances by name, in describing them as "ghastly", "lousy", "talentless", "dull", etc..and his elaborations are scathingly, wittily entertaining. Ex: About Jack Kerouac. "That's not writing, that's typewriting." Jackie Susanne: "She looks like a truck driver in drag". Georgia O'Keefe: "I wouldn't pay 25 cents to spit on a Georgia O'Keefe painting!". What saves him from maybe just being viewed as a "not nice" person, are his extreme intelligence, wit, humor, and his always brutal honesty. This fascinating book is so entertaining that I am hard pressed to give just a few examples or excerpts from it. But I loved his response when Grobel poses the question to Capote, who in his lifetime had befriended (and later was publicly alienated by) many of the super wealthy, "How are the rich different? Is it just that they have more money?" Capote responded "No, no. The real difference between rich and regular people is that the rich serve such marvelous vegetables. Little fresh born things, scarcely out of the earth. Little baby corn, little baby peas, little lambs that have been RIPPED out of their mothers' wombs. That's the REAL difference!". Truman had a long, drawn out, public demise, and died what was apparently a welcome death after years of suffering. While many would have him being remembered as just a sad, malicious , social climbing, venemous celebrity, it is his record of brilliant writing and his incredible wit which will stand out. And the realization that, underneath it all, was just a sad little boy, trying to make alot of noise. Of all the books written about Capote, I have found this the most revealing and fascinating. Why read ABOUT him, when you can hear him, in all his outrageous splendor? As little Truman says, when asked to define himself: "I am a homosexual. I am a drug addict. I am a genius."

This is the book that makes you sad at the prospect of Truman Capote dying before he could finish his last novel, but you suspect that he didn't have to finish it since you get a lot of it from these interviews. He was one of the most fascinating figures in literary history and his insights into art, literature and celebrity are amazing.

There's a running rivalry with Norman Mailer, a dismissal of the beats, discussion of Breakfast at Tiffany's. He talks about interviewing the killers for In Cold Blood and how that led to other interviews with convicted killers. He discusses Hemmingway and leaves the reader with one of the best lines ever - "I am the man that Hemingway pretended to be." which is even more interesting when you consider Hemingway's repressed homosexuality (or accusations thereof) in light of Capote's openly gay personae that he displayed when that could get you killed.

Be warned. Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. So set time aside so you can finish it in one sitting.

I own several books of conversations with authors. This is the first one I've wanted to read cover-to-cover without pausing for a breath. It's the first one I haven't been tempted to skim, looking for the best nuggets, because this one is FULL of nuggets. Capote isn't afraid to say, flat-out, what is on his mind. The chapter about his contemporaries is particularly interesting to me.

For instance, of Faulker he says: "Well, he was completely reckless. I'm not a great admirer of Faulkner. He never had the slightest influence on me at all. I like three or four short stories of his, 'That Evening Sun,' and I like one novel of his very much, called LIGHT IN AUGUST. But for the most part, he's a highly confusing, uncontrolled writer."

Which is all absolutely reasonable. Then Capote adds, "I knew Faulkner very well. He was a great friend of mine. Well, as much as you could be a friend of his, unless you were a fourteen-year-old nymphet. Then you could be a great friend!"

And Capote doesn't hold back about any of his other contemporaries, either, like Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Gertrude Stein, and more. For instance, when the interviewer expresses his respect for Bellow's HENDERSON THE RAIN KING, Capote says, "Oh no. Dull, dull."

This book also has several photographs of Capote. The quality of the photos, at least in my softcover edition, are rather poor, unfortunately, but many of them I've never seen before, such as the one with Truman showing up to a court appearance on a drunk driving charge in shorts! The caption reads: "He [the judge] was very insulted...Actually, I looked quite smart. I had a very smart pair of shorts on and a very smart jacket and shirt and sandals."

In some ways, this is like reading a great comedy routine, yet there are definitely undercurrents of anger and sadness in this book. I highly recommend it.

Truman Capote was a great writer and self-promoter. Both characteristics come through in these interviews with Lawrence Grobel, an interviewer who has done his homework and only intrudes when he has something to add.

The book stands up well on its own merits, but will prove more enjoyable if you read some backgound material first, notably (in order of priority) "Music for Chameleons," Gerald Clarke's first-rate biography, and "In Cold Blood."

After you've read it, you may want to watch A & E's excellent documentary on Capote's life.

Okay, I admit there is a fair amount of gossip in this book, but it is worth reading to hear what Capote has to say about his own work. And I found myself marking spots where he speaks highly of certain other authors...now I want to read those books as well!

For fans of either the writer or the reporter who conducted the interview, this is a great buy and a fantastic read.

Wonderfully insightful. Truman's own words give you an entry to this great writer's philosophy. It's a fast read.

An intriguing look at one of America's most respected and shunned literary icons. Probes both his writing as well as the fantastic social life for which the author was famous. A unique portrait that will stand as the difinitive book on Capote.

everything and perhaps a little more than you want to know about Truman Capote. A nice easy to read bok.