In Brief: Revisiting Truman Capote

By Alison Jeffe | Monday, April 1, 2002

In 1966 Truman Capote published In Cold Blood, the culmination of six years of research on the murder of a rural Kansas family. The work heralded the arrival of the non-fiction novel. A year later Tom Wolfe would publish his study of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters in his Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

The idea of writing non-fiction as if it were fiction was not Capote's, however. Tom Wolfe, for one, had been doing it for a number of years. His portrait of the moon-shiningsounder of modern NASCAR racing—'The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson. Yes!'—appeared in Esquire in 1965. What Capote did, as a novelist, was to bring the techniques of a journalist to the practice of novel writing.

In February of this year, a new edition of Truman Capote's short story, 'A House of the Heights' was released. The story sketches Capote's experiences in his Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. He exhibits a keen eye for his surroundings—the environment and his neighbors—and also narrates his own experiences.

Interesting, also, is the introduction by George Plimpton. No stranger to these pages (in the second issue of the Review, Plimpton received the Review's 'special thanks' along with William F. Buckley), Plimpton sheds light on the true nature of Capote and presents historical information with regard to the house in Brooklyn Heights, the subject of Capote's story. Plimpton is not stranger to the non-fiction novel, having written the Paper Lion, which documented Plimpton's experiences as he trained and played with the Detroit Lions.

The idea for 'A House on the Heights' came about after a discussion between John Knowles and Capote, who was in the midst of writing Breakfast at Tiffany's. After the meeting, Capote agreed to 'the delight of the Holiday editors' to write a piece. 'Heights' was the result of this arrangement. Holiday magazine, in its hey-day, featured many prominent writers—John Steinbeck, for one.

The house on the Heights was located on Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights, New York. A twenty-eight room home with a huge spiral staircase, Capote inhabited a room in the basement. The house and, particularly, his room were cluttered in gaudy objects. Capote may have only inhabited the basement, but was known to tell visitors that the entire home was his. Quite the character, the author was also fond of inviting friends over for soup served too cold and to tell gossipy stories.

According to Plimpton, Capote was best described by James Dickey, who said, 'His writing came, first, from a great and real interest in many things and people.' The detail of Capote's observation in this story only proves the insight of Dickey's comment.

The writing in 'The House on the Heights' differs from that of Capote's classics, In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's. The story begins simply: 'I live in Brooklyn. By Choice.' Capote places himself in the center of his description—the story is more than a sketch of a particular area; it is a description with a voice that is distinctly Capote's.

And so, it continues. Capote begins the story with his own version of the history of the house. It is not entirely true, he notes, although it is the truth to the best of his knowledge.

Brooklyn Heights was not a popular locale until the conclusion of World War II. 'The Heights commenced attracting a bright new clientele...eager to restore to the Heights its shattered qualities of circumspect, comfortable charm,' said Capote, describing the post-war migration. Capote lived in a fashionable area, and he makes it evident. Still, his tranquil life in the house contrasted the life he led in Manhattan.

Truman Capote was no ordinary man. Biographies frequently describe him as an absent-minded fellow known to wear unusual and noticeable clothing. The way he came to acquire his room in the house speaks of his character. Capote was visiting a friend in the twenty-eight room house. They were drinking together, with Capote urging his friend to drink more. And, by the evening's end: 'Twenty-eight rooms were rather a lot; and yes, it seemed only fair that I should have some of them.' 'Some' is an overstatement; Capote only acquired the basement.

The story is composed of bizarre anecdotes and eccentric people—a Russian spy and a woman with a penchant for rescuing cats are but two. Capote gives mundane events special prominence. For instance, one day Capote mistakenly receives his a neighbor's meat delivery and takes it upon himself to correct the error. Doubtless, his quest to find to owner of the meat becomes a wonderful undertaking for a man with a eye for detail.

Capote experimented with writing fiction, historically-based pieces and short stories. 'A House on the Heights,' manages meld with his other writing, but this story offers a unique glimpse of Capote. Brooklyn Heights is been through Capote's eyes, and it is only through his eyes that one can find what exactly bewitched him about the neighborhood.

In Brief: Revisiting Truman Capote

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