Lost Friendships: A Memoir of Truman Capote Tennessee Williams and Others [Paperback]

Donald Windham (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Drawing on his journals, novelist Windham ( Two People, etc.) describes his relationships with Capote and Williams ("the one person I loved to whom I didn't have a physical attachment"), their addiction to alcohol, jealousy and untruth, their deterioration as writers and as human beings. The inspiration for Capote's writing, he states, was not experience but reading, and as time went on, instead of writing, he "talked about the writing he was going to do." He was "always engaged in fantasy and web-spinning," and "his frail respect for the distinction between the truth and invention became even frailer." At a certain point, Williams, too, "ceased to be able to distinguish between truth and untruth." Like other recent books on these two unhappy writers, Windham's memoir is a depressing account of wasted lives and talents. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A long-time friend of both Capote and Williams, Windham gives a compelling portrait of these two important American writers. Part 1, "Footnote to a Friendship," focuses on Capote. Part 2, "As if . . . ," depicts his more complex friendship with Williams (they collaborated on a play, You Touched Me , and he edited a volume of the playwright's letters). In telling their story, Windham spans four decades of literary life, bringing into his memoir other writers and luminariesGore Vidal, Isak Dinesen, and Andre Gide among them. This useful supplement to the standard biographies and criticism is recommended for collections specializing in modern literature. Michael J. Esposito, formerly with the Special Libs. Assn., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Athena (December 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557782407
• ISBN-13: 978-1557782403
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,640,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, March 31, 2009

By 

Twisted Bamboo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Friendships: A Memoir of Truman Capote Tennessee Williams and Others (Paperback)

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It's filled with details that bring to life what it must have been like to be a (gay) man of letters from the 1940's to the 1980's (and Windham, at 90, is still kicking it in 2009).

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, December 15, 2011

By 

Aram Saroyan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Friendships: A Memoir of Truman Capote Tennessee Williams and Others (Paperback)

Windham is fascinated by his two literary friends who achieved a level of success that eludehd him and eludes most writers, Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. He knew both so well that the reader sees both figures in the round--something that doesn't happen in conventional biographies of both figures. He also probes at the heart of how success can derail an artist's journey. This is a wonderful book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could not make it to the end, July 7, 2010

By 

W. Carter (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lost Friendships: A Memoir of Truman Capote Tennessee Williams and Others (Paperback)

Despite my admiration for both Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams, this book did them little justice. It appears to have been more for the author to talk about himself rather than trying to get into his subjects. I've read another book by Mr. Windham and did not find this to be problematic. The other issue I had with it is that as the book went on, the author started writing these long, convoluted sentences that he may have thought seemed Proustian but, in reality, made little sense--if not completely contradictory. I was not impressed.