100 Years of Truman Capote!
Celebrating the Iconic Gay Author's Centenary!
Truman Capote was born 100 years ago today on September 30, 1924. And we just had to commemorate this day with a celebration of the late great gay icon! (And one of Ryan Wildstar’s best impersonations!)
Portraits of Truman Capote on Stage & Screen:
We have to begin with four remarkable portrayals of Truman Capote, all of which deserve mention here:
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (2005):
Currently streaming on The Criterion Channel!
Toby Jones in Infamous (2006):
Currently streaming on Kanopy!
Tom Hollander in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (2024):
Currently streaming on Hulu!
Robert Morse in Tru (1992) on PBS American Playhouse:
Currently available on Youtube!
And for a fascinating recent documentary featuring the words of Truman himself, as well as many of his friends, enemies and frenemies, check out:
The Capote Tapes (2019)
Currently streaming on Hulu!
Truman Capote’s Best Books:
And of course, the best way to celebrate Truman Capote’s centennial year is to dive into one of his brilliant books. Here are six of our favorites:
Other Voices, Other Rooms
“Truman Capote’s first novel is a story of almost supernatural intensity and inventiveness, an audacious foray into the mind of a sensitive boy as he seeks out the grown-up enigmas of love and death in the ghostly landscape of the deep South.” [Source]
The Complete Stories of Truman Capote
“Ranging from the gothic South to the chic East Coast, from rural children to aging urban sophisticates, all the unforgettable places and people of Capote’s oeuvre are here, in stories as elegant as they are heartfelt, as haunting as they are compassionate. Reading them reminds us of the miraculous gifts of a beloved American original.” [Source]
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
“Holly Golightly is a glittering socialite mover and shaker: generally upwards, sometimes sideways and, every now and then, down. She’s up all night drinking cocktails and breaking hearts. She’s a shoplifter, a delight, a drifter, a tease. In short, an icon. Truman Capote’s most famous work, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is the ultimate ode to dreamers.” [Source]
Music for Chameleons
“In these gems of reportage Truman Capote takes true stories and real people and renders them with the stylistic brio we expect from great fiction. … And we meet Capote himself, who, whether he is smoking with his cleaning lady or trading sexual gossip with Marilyn Monroe, remains one of the most elegant, malicious, yet compassionate writers to train his eye on the social fauna of his time.” [Source]
In Cold Blood
“The most famous true crime novel of all time ‘chills the blood and exercises the intelligence’ (The New York Review of Books)--and haunted its author long after he finished writing it. … In one of the first non-fiction novels ever written, Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, generating both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.” [Source]
Answered Prayers
“Truman Capote’s unfinished final novel is an unsparing tell-all of New York high society that sent a seismic shock through the public and Capote’s own social circle. … Unrestrained and irreverent, Answered Prayers renders a carnival of wealth and influence so unthinkable that it satirizes itself--with the inimitable wit of one of the twentieth century’s most celebrated writers.” [Source]
Truman Capote’s Guest Appearances on The Aesthetic Arrest Podcast!
Did you know Truman Capote came back from the dead twice to appear as a guest on our very own podcast? Have a listen here:
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Sarah Vaughan's Centennial, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, C Pam Zhang & Shrimp Étouffée! (Truman appeared as a guest to let us know his opinion of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.)
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Weekly Cultural Highlights 7/1/22 (Our third podcast ever! Truman made an appearance when we discussed his novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms.)
Happy 100th Birthday to Truman Capote! (September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984)
