The Early Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote

The Early Stories of Truman Capote by Truman Capote

The early fiction of one of the nation's most celebrated writers, Truman Capote, as he takes his first bold steps into the canon of American literature

Recently rediscovered in the archives of the New York Public Library, these short stories provide an unparalleled look at Truman Capote writing in his teens and early twenties, before he penned such classics as Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and In Cold Blood. This collection of more than a dozen pieces showcases the young Capote developing the unique voice and sensibility that would make him one of the twentieth century's most original writers.

Spare yet heartfelt, these stories summon our compassion and feeling at every turn. Capote was always drawn to outsiders--women, children, African Americans, the poor--because he felt like one himself from a very early age. Here we see Capote's powers of empathy developing as he depicts his characters struggling at the margins of their known worlds. A boy experiences the violence of adulthood when he pursues an escaped convict into the woods. Petty jealousies lead to a life-altering event for a popular girl at Miss Burke's Academy for Young Ladies. In a time of extraordinary loss, a woman fights to save the life of a child who has her lover's eyes.

In these stories we see early signs of Capote's genius for creating unforgettable characters built of complexity and yearning. Young women experience the joys and pains of new love. Urbane sophisticates are worn down by cynicism. Children and adults alike seek understanding in a treacherous world. There are tales of crime and violence; of racism and injustice; of poverty and despair. And there are tales of generosity and tenderness; compassion and connection; wit and wonder. Above all there is the developing voice of a writer born in the Deep South who will use and eventually break from that tradition to become a literary figure like no other.

With a foreword by the celebrated New Yorker critic Hilton Als, this volume of early stories is essential for understanding how a boy from Monroeville, Alabama, became a legend in American literature.

Praise for The Early Stories of Truman Capote

"Succeeds at conveying the writer's youthful rawness . . . These stories capture a moment when Capote was hungry to capture the rural South, the big city, and the subtle emotions that so many around him were determined to keep unspoken."--USA Today

"A window on the young writer's emerging voice and creativity . . . Capote's ability to conjure a time, place and mood with just a few sentences is remarkable."--Associated Press

Truman Capote was born in New Orleans on September 30, 1924. He was taken to live with relatives in Monroeville, Alabama, after his parents divorced. He would meet his lifelong buddy, author Harper Lee, here. With the release of his debut novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, in 1948, Capote gained international acclaim. Breakfast at Tiffany's, A Tree of Night, The Grass Harp, Summer Crossing, A Christmas Memory, and In Cold Blood, largely regarded as one of the finest novels of the twentieth century, are among his notable works.

The O has been given to him twice. Capote was the winner of the Henry Short Story Prize, as well as a National Institute of Arts and Letters Creative Writing Award and an Edgar Award. He passed away on August 25, 1984, just shy of his sixtieth birthday.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780812987690
ISBN 10	0812987691
Title	The Early Stories of Truman Capote
Author	Truman Capote
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2016-09-06
Number of pages	208
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.