October 7, 2015

Wednesday Writing Wisdom (28) Truman Capote





“To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music that words make.”



Truman Capote
(1924 - 1984)
Curious facts about 



“Capote” wasn’t his real last name. He was born Truman Streckfus Persons, but "Capote" wasn’t a pen name—it came from his stepfather, Joseph Capote, and his name was changed to “Truman Garcia Capote” in 1935.

He taught himself how to read and write. Truman was classified as a “lonely child,” and before he even entered formal schooling, he used that loneliness (along with his obvious smarts) to teach himself how to read and write. By 11, he was already writing his first short stories.

He didn’t attend college. Capote’s schooling was varied, but rich. After he and his mother moved to New York City from Monroeville, Alabama, he attended a number of high-profile institutions, including the Trinity School, St. Joseph Military Academy, Greenwich High School, and the Franklin School (now called the Dwight School). While finishing up his high school education, Capote worked as a copyboy for The New Yorker, which served as his post-high school proving ground.

Capote was 5 feet 3 inches tall and openly homosexual in a time when it was socially acceptable among artists, but rarely talked about.

Capote was well known for his distinctive, high-pitched voice and odd vocal mannerisms, his offbeat manner of dress and his fabrications. He often claimed to intimately know people he had in fact never met, such as Greta Garbo.


4 comments:

  1. In Cold Blood gives me chills just to think about. I can totally see Truman and Greta Garbo in the same room, if only in his mind!

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    Replies
    1. I haven't read it but I intend to as soon as I get a bit of free time. Thanks for checking the post, Flossie!

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  2. I've never worked up the nerve to read In Cold Blood, but his reputation has made Capote into a legend. And I agree with Flossie about him and Greta G., even if it was only in his imagination!

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