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The Grass Harp / a Tree of Night
Set in a small Southern town in the 1930s, this classic work tells the story of three endearing misfitsan orphaned boy and two whimsical old ladieswho one day take up residence in a tree house. Now a major motion picture from Fine Line Features, starring Sissy Spacek, Walter Matthau, Piper Laurie, and Nell Carter.
216 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Truman Capote
345 books7,252 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognised literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel." At least 20 films and TV dramas have been produced from Capote novels, stories and screenplays.
He was born as Truman Streckfus Persons to a salesman Archulus Persons and young Lillie Mae. His parents divorced when he was four and he went to live with his mother's relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. He was a lonely child who learned to read and write by himself before entering school. In 1933, he moved to New York City to live with his mother and her new husband, Joseph Capote, a Cuban-born businessman. Mr. Capote adopted Truman, legally changing his last name to Capote and enrolling him in private school. After graduating from high school in 1942, Truman Capote began his regular job as a copy boy at The New Yorker. During this time, he also began his career as a writer, publishing many short stories which introduced him into a circle of literary critics. His first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, published in 1948, stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for nine weeks and became controversial because of the photograph of Capote used to promote the novel, posing seductively and gazing into the camera.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Capote remained prolific producing both fiction and non-fiction. His masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a story about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was published in 1966 in book form by Random House, became a worldwide success and brought Capote much praise from the literary community. After this success he published rarely and suffered from alcohol addiction. He died in 1984 at age 59.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 12, 2021
My first time reading Capote and a pleasant experience it was. A nice collection of nine stories. Very entertaining throughout.
May 19, 2016
If you like To Kill a Mockingbird, you might like this. Beautiful writing "heatwaves jiggled like a sound-graph of the celebrating Baptist bells"; unforgettable characters. Liked the 1996 video which somehow made it into my Netflix queue; loved this book.
January 17, 2011
Here's to hoping that I never have to read anything by Capote again.
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March 9, 2021Miriam, one of my favourite short stories ever read.
December 10, 2024
Truman Capote je slavné jméno americké literatury, a já od něj nikdy nic nečetla. Ne, ani to proslavené Chladnokrevně či Snídani u Tiffanyho.
Ale mám tu letos ten program odložených knih a autorů…
Tohle jsou povídky. Respektive Luční harfa je novela, Strom noci sbírka osmi povídek, spojeno do jedné knihy. Pro všechny kusy je společná silná atmosféra, která v některých případech vytváří dojem takového zábavného panoptikálního výjevu, v jiných spíš noční můry. Celkem symptomatické mi připadá, že zábavná panoptika se obvykle odehrávají na Jihu, zatímco noční můry v New Yorku. Obecně lze ale říct, že capotovské USA jsou příšerná země plná příšerných lidí, bláznivých tetiček, divných dětí a lidí vydělávajících si peníze značně obskurními způsoby. Povídky jsou to nicméně skvělé, zvláště bych vyzdvihla Miriam, ze které mi bylo až fyzicky špatně, a Děti o svých narozeninách.
Ale mám tu letos ten program odložených knih a autorů…
Tohle jsou povídky. Respektive Luční harfa je novela, Strom noci sbírka osmi povídek, spojeno do jedné knihy. Pro všechny kusy je společná silná atmosféra, která v některých případech vytváří dojem takového zábavného panoptikálního výjevu, v jiných spíš noční můry. Celkem symptomatické mi připadá, že zábavná panoptika se obvykle odehrávají na Jihu, zatímco noční můry v New Yorku. Obecně lze ale říct, že capotovské USA jsou příšerná země plná příšerných lidí, bláznivých tetiček, divných dětí a lidí vydělávajících si peníze značně obskurními způsoby. Povídky jsou to nicméně skvělé, zvláště bych vyzdvihla Miriam, ze které mi bylo až fyzicky špatně, a Děti o svých narozeninách.
November 12, 2022
Very atmospheric and gripping. Wonderful language. Highly recommended.
April 14, 2008
I picked this up because it was the only interesting choice in English that I hadn't read at the used bookstore. Some of these stories I enjoyed due to Capote's bizarre and fantastic characters, but others just fell flat. I wanted them to be funny or clever, but they just ended up being sad stories of the South.
Favorite quote from "Children on Their Birthdays"
"You are a dear, I know, I know. And I appreciate you, Billy Bob. Only don't fight with people because of me. Of course they say mean things about me. But do you know why that is, Billy Bob? It's a compliment, kind of. Because deep down they think I'm absolutely wonderful."
Favorite quote from "Children on Their Birthdays"
"You are a dear, I know, I know. And I appreciate you, Billy Bob. Only don't fight with people because of me. Of course they say mean things about me. But do you know why that is, Billy Bob? It's a compliment, kind of. Because deep down they think I'm absolutely wonderful."
April 21, 2009
Hmmm. I didn't love this book, and I can't really put my finger on why. It kept my attention I just didn't feel like I gleaned any great message from it. I still think I will try In Cold Blood though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews