{"product_id":"portraits-and-observations-paperback","title":"Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTruman Capote\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps no twentieth-century writer was so observant and graceful a chronicler of his times as Truman Capote. \u003ci\u003ePortraits and Observations \u003c\/i\u003eis the first volume devoted solely to all the essays ever published by this most beloved of writers. Included are such masterpieces of narrative nonfiction as \"The Muses Are Heard\" and the short nonfiction novel \"Handcarved Coffins,\" as well as many long-out-of-print essays, including portraits of Mae West, Humphrey Bogart, and Marilyn Monroe. From his travel sketches of Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Hollywood, written when he was twenty-two, to the author's last written words, composed the day before his death in 1984, the recently discovered \"Remembering Willa Cather,\" \u003ci\u003ePortraits and Observations\u003c\/i\u003e puts on display the full spectrum of Truman Capote's brilliance. Certainly Capote was, as Somerset Maugham famously called him, \"a stylist of the first quality.\" But as the pieces gathered here remind us, he was also an artist of remarkable substance. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003ePortraits and Observations\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE \u003ci\u003eWASHINGTON POST\u003c\/i\u003e BOOK WORLD \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A must-have treasure for Capote fans . . . These are delicious, dramatic, and tender nonfiction portraits and tales.\"\u003cbr\u003e-NPR's \u003ci\u003eMorning Edition\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A wonderful volume . . . Nearly every page can be read with real pleasure. . . . No matter what his subject, [Capote's] canny, careful art gives it warm and breathing life\" \u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Every piece is a treasure. . . . Pages and pages of remarkably evocative, careful and well-observed prose [delineate, ] in a measured and elegant manner, one of the most remarkable American literary lives of the twentieth century.\" \u003cbr\u003e-Jane Smiley, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTruman Capote \u003c\/b\u003ewas born September 30, 1924, in New Orleans. After his parents' divorce, he was sent to live with relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. It was here he would meet his lifelong friend, the author Harper Lee. Capote rose to international prominence in 1948 with the publication of his debut novel, \u003ci\u003eOther Voices, Other Rooms.\u003c\/i\u003e Among his celebrated works are \u003ci\u003eBreakfast at Tiffany's, A Tree of Night, The Grass Harp, Summer Crossing, A Christmas Memory, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIn Cold Blood, \u003c\/i\u003e widely considered one of the greatest books of the twentieth century. Twice awarded the O. Henry Short Story Prize, Capote was also the recipient of a National Institute of Arts and Letters Creative Writing Award and an Edgar Award. He died August 25, 1984, shortly before his sixtieth birthday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n        \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 528\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 8 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 11, 2008\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42174910398599,"sku":"9780812978919","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/1528e03085306ee005aabbd185099e65.webp?v=1733377767","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/portraits-and-observations-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}