Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Literature.
Short Stories.
HTML: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.… (plus d'informations)
I don't usually read juvenilia, but finding a copy of these early short stories by Truman Capote (1924-1984) at a remaindered price in an attractively packaged hardcover with an extensive foreword and afterword was just too tempting to pass up. And I'm trying to read more short stories as part of my overall reading goals. So this fit the bill nicely. Heck, they even put a dog on the cover as a further enticement (I like dog books)! The wire-haired terrier features in a story titled "This is for Jamie."
These stories are mostly character or situation portraits, usually of outsiders such as down-and-outs on the tramp, escaped convicts, an escaped mental patient, school kids caught stealing or lying etc. All of them were simply told and effective. Based on the little publishing information provided, about half of them appeared in school publications in 1940 & 1941 when Capote would have been about 16 or 17 years old. The story "Kindred Spirits" is estimated to be the last one written, between 1945 and 1947, so when Capote was approx. 21 to 23 years old.
What a lovely collection of short stories. Capote is able to say so much with his careful word choices. He also ends his stories really well, which I believe to be one of the signs if a really fine writer. Witty, eloquent, mournful, sarcastic, and clearly stories written by a man with marvelous powers of observation. Excellent! ( )
Informations provenant du Partage des connaissances anglais.Modifiez pour passer à votre langue.
(Foreword) Truman Capote stands in the middle of his motel room watching the TV.
Twilight had come; the lights from the distant town were beginning to flash on; up the hot and dusty road leading from the town came two figures, one, a large and powerful man, the other, young and delicate.
(Afterword) Truman Capote wrote the fourteen stories in The Early Stories of Truman Capote as an adolescent and a young man.
(Biographical Note) Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924, in New Orleans.
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
Literature.
Short Stories.
HTML: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.
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I don't usually read juvenilia, but finding a copy of these early short stories by Truman Capote (1924-1984) at a remaindered price in an attractively packaged hardcover with an extensive foreword and afterword was just too tempting to pass up. And I'm trying to read more short stories as part of my overall reading goals. So this fit the bill nicely. Heck, they even put a dog on the cover as a further enticement (I like dog books)! The wire-haired terrier features in a story titled "This is for Jamie."
These stories are mostly character or situation portraits, usually of outsiders such as down-and-outs on the tramp, escaped convicts, an escaped mental patient, school kids caught stealing or lying etc. All of them were simply told and effective. Based on the little publishing information provided, about half of them appeared in school publications in 1940 & 1941 when Capote would have been about 16 or 17 years old. The story "Kindred Spirits" is estimated to be the last one written, between 1945 and 1947, so when Capote was approx. 21 to 23 years old.
All of these showed a careful attention to craft and certainly signal that the future writer of classics such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "In Cold Blood" was an early protégé. (