Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote [Paperback]

Truman Capote (Author)

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Product Details

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Modern Library; Reprint edition (Nov 11 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812978919
ISBN-13: 978-0812978919
Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 2.8 x 20.3 cm
Shipping Weight: 358 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #277,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

This volume of collected essays, many out of print since their original publication, is both a long overdue and welcome addition to the Capote revival. It's arranged chronologically—from a short 1946 piece on New Orleans, written when Capote was 22, to a brief appreciation of Willa Cather he wrote the day before he died in 1984. The 42 pieces range from one-page portraits of public figures such as Ezra Pound and Coco Chanel to the 104-page 1956 The Muses Are Heard, a masterful journalistic account, first printed in the New Yorker, of an American opera company's tour of Porgy and Bess in the U.S.S.R. The collection contains some great writing—his 1970s Handcarved Coffins, an account of a Midwestern murder that recalls In Cold Blood and can be savored for its beautifully nuanced balance of empathy and emotional horror. Many of the pieces, however, such as a 1974 sketch of Elizabeth Taylor written for Ladies' Home Journal, feel occasional and off-the-cuff. While integral to Capote and his evolution as a writer, these pieces do not constitute his best work. Still, the volume's completeness will recommend it to fans as well as anyone seriously interested in mid–20th-century American literature. (Nov. 20)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“A must-have treasure for Capote fans . . . These are delicious, dramatic, and tender nonfiction portraits and tales.”
–NPR’s Morning Edition

“A wonderful volume . . . Nearly every page can be read with real pleasure. . . . No matter what his subject, [Capote’s] canny, careful art gives it warm and breathing life”
–The Washington Post Book World

“Every piece is a treasure. . . . Pages and pages of remarkably evocative, careful and well-observed prose [delineate,] in a measured and elegant manner, one of the most remarkable American literary lives of the twentieth century.”
–Jane Smiley, Los Angeles Times Book Review

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it but it did not quite meet my expectations, Jan 1 2008

By Louie's Mom "Compulsive Reader" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote (Hardcover)

I was very excited to buy this book and begin reading it during the holidays. I skipped around in it rather than reading from start to finish. One of the best items in it isn't actually an essay at all - its a murder mystery story that is captivating, but is fictional ("Handcarved Coffins.") (Midway through reading it I searched via Google for info on the murders and quickly found it was not an actual non-fiction account.) I enjoyed the essay about the history of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood where Capote lived for several years. An essay about a theatre group going to the USSR to perform Porgy and Bess was interesting and humorous.

The essay on Marlon Brando, "The Duke in His Doman" seemed like a waste of pages. The gist of it is that when Capote met with Brando in Japan during the filming of Sayonara, Brando was self-absorbed and arrogantly believed himself to be a great philospher. I think that essay could have been left out.

There are a number of very short essays that are probably better described as "vignettes." I found these less satisfying - Capote seems better at capturing a place or person with more words, with the exception of the Brando essay.

This book might have been better if it had been a combination of essays and letters and some of the weaker essays had been left out, or supplemented by relevant letters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, Sep 12 2010

By Designer Shirt Diva - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote (Paperback)

If you have not read Truman Capote, recommend this book as an excellent read. What a gifted writer he was. Fast delivery.

5.0 out of 5 stars Observations worth reading again and again., July 24 2010

By Steve - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote (Hardcover)

This was the same book that I checked out from my local library prior to ordering from Amazon.
The contents are typical Capote-clever masterpieces in essay form that weave their spell, written over a span of several decades.
As Mr. Capote related to me in 1978, his was a genuine love for the written word. He used to spend long periods of time as a child practicing sentence construction and paragraph formation.
An excellent read all the way around.

Steve Harris

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews 4.6 out of 5 stars