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The Dogs Bark
Representing Truman Capote's finest work, the delightful pieces in this collection span thirty years, travel the globe, and profile an extraordinary range of people. Through Truman Capote's eyes and artistry we visit such places as Hatti, Tangier, Hollywood, Paris, Manhattan, Italy and Brooklyn, we encounter such figures as Isak Dinesen, Mae West, Louis Armstrong, Colette, Humphrey Bogart, Ezra Pound, Marilyn Monroe, and Marlon Brando, and we observe the evolution of Capote from a young man in the golden glow of early success to a renowned author viewing his life, work, world and the creation of his last incomplete novel -- Answered Prayers.
Reprinted in its entirety is The Muses Are Heard, Capote's fascinating, excruciatingly funny account of the "Porgy and Bess" touring company's visit to the Soviet Union.
Every page is stamped with the unique sensibility and inimitable style of Truman Capote and provides vivid evidence of why Norman Mailer has termed him "the most perfect writer of a generation."
Reprinted in its entirety is The Muses Are Heard, Capote's fascinating, excruciatingly funny account of the "Porgy and Bess" touring company's visit to the Soviet Union.
Every page is stamped with the unique sensibility and inimitable style of Truman Capote and provides vivid evidence of why Norman Mailer has termed him "the most perfect writer of a generation."
419 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1973
69 people are currently reading
755 people want to read
About the author
Truman Capote
345 books7,249 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 - 30 of 40 reviews
February 4, 2023
PERSONAGGI PUBBLICI E LUOGHI PRIVATI
Truman Capote balla con Marilyn Monroe.
Credo di capire abbastanza a fondo la letteratura, eppure quando leggo qualcosa che vale, un’autentica opera d’arte, i miei sensi sembrano fluttuare in un universo di stupore. Come ha fatto? Come è stato possibile?
Truman Capote, tra i maggiori scrittori del Novecento, era persona curiosa, che non esitava di fronte a un viaggio, un incontro, una nuova conoscenza, un’esperienza.
Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer e Truman Capote in una cabina fotografica.
Ha vissuto il suo tempo fino in fondo, oltre che raccontarlo: si è calato nella sua epoca, viaggiando ovunque, città isole paesi rovine archeologiche, seguendo movimenti e correnti, ascoltando voci, altre voci in altre stanze, conoscendo frequentando intervistando conversando con i grandi del XX secolo.
Per esempio, la gemma dedicata a Karen Blixen presentata col suo pseudonimo di Isak Dinesen, la chicca dedicata a Gide e Cocteau con quell’incredibile finale nel paesino siciliano, la lunga intervista a Marlon Brando sul set di un film in Giappone, da cui:
Truman Capote:
Il segreto dell’arte di fare interviste – ed è un’arte – è di fare in modo che sia l’altro a pensare che stia intervistando te.
Marlon Brando:
Quel piccolo bastardo passò metà della serata a raccontarmi tutti i suoi problemi. Ho pensato che il meno che potessi fare era dirgliene qualcuno dei miei.
Truman Capote e Harper Lee.
Mondanità e inchiesta, giornalismo e passione, diario e confessione, il gossip portato ad arte, l’arte fatta col gossip:
Tutto quanto si può leggere qui è reale, il che non significa che sia la verità, ma lo è per quanto a me è possibile individuarla.
Il tutto immerso nell’intelligenza e sensibilità di un uomo davvero unico:
La realtà riflessa è l’essenza della realtà, la verità vera.
A proposito, Truman, grazie.
Di cuore.
Truman Capote e Marlon Brando.
Truman Capote balla con Marilyn Monroe.
Credo di capire abbastanza a fondo la letteratura, eppure quando leggo qualcosa che vale, un’autentica opera d’arte, i miei sensi sembrano fluttuare in un universo di stupore. Come ha fatto? Come è stato possibile?
Truman Capote, tra i maggiori scrittori del Novecento, era persona curiosa, che non esitava di fronte a un viaggio, un incontro, una nuova conoscenza, un’esperienza.
Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer e Truman Capote in una cabina fotografica.
Ha vissuto il suo tempo fino in fondo, oltre che raccontarlo: si è calato nella sua epoca, viaggiando ovunque, città isole paesi rovine archeologiche, seguendo movimenti e correnti, ascoltando voci, altre voci in altre stanze, conoscendo frequentando intervistando conversando con i grandi del XX secolo.
Per esempio, la gemma dedicata a Karen Blixen presentata col suo pseudonimo di Isak Dinesen, la chicca dedicata a Gide e Cocteau con quell’incredibile finale nel paesino siciliano, la lunga intervista a Marlon Brando sul set di un film in Giappone, da cui:
Truman Capote:
Il segreto dell’arte di fare interviste – ed è un’arte – è di fare in modo che sia l’altro a pensare che stia intervistando te.
Marlon Brando:
Quel piccolo bastardo passò metà della serata a raccontarmi tutti i suoi problemi. Ho pensato che il meno che potessi fare era dirgliene qualcuno dei miei.
Truman Capote e Harper Lee.
Mondanità e inchiesta, giornalismo e passione, diario e confessione, il gossip portato ad arte, l’arte fatta col gossip:
Tutto quanto si può leggere qui è reale, il che non significa che sia la verità, ma lo è per quanto a me è possibile individuarla.
Il tutto immerso nell’intelligenza e sensibilità di un uomo davvero unico:
La realtà riflessa è l’essenza della realtà, la verità vera.
A proposito, Truman, grazie.
Di cuore.
Truman Capote e Marlon Brando.
August 27, 2014
It's the height of the Cold War. A U.S. troupe is invited to perform "Porgy and Bess" in the Soviet Union, and Capote is there to record it with his matchless eyes and ears in "The Muses Are Heard." What rings hilariously true are the fears and ignorance harbored on each side of the Iron Curtain, about the other side. Take this moment when the troupe first boards the train in East Berlin and looks at the Soviet train attendants, who "managed to preserve a stony uninterest despite the bold attentions of those Americans who approached and stared at them as though amazed, and rather peeved, to discover Russians had two eyes correctly located."
This chronicle--a perfect marriage of frothiness, politics on the world stage and backstage, as well as a journey transmuted into indelible sad-happy pictures--was originally a separate book. Other highlights of "The Dogs Bark": the Brando portrait--like standing in a room with him, and "Lola" about much more than a pet raven.
This chronicle--a perfect marriage of frothiness, politics on the world stage and backstage, as well as a journey transmuted into indelible sad-happy pictures--was originally a separate book. Other highlights of "The Dogs Bark": the Brando portrait--like standing in a room with him, and "Lola" about much more than a pet raven.
November 2, 2012
Труман Капоти затвърждава статута си на мой абсолютен любимец и убеждението ми става все по-кристално след всяко ново заглавие, към което посегна.
В случая, тук първоначално бях разколебана, голяма част от разказите не ме трогнаха, не ми допаднаха или просто не ги разбрах - не знам коя е причината. След това дойде ред на "Лола" - страниците, в които един гарван се мисли за куче. И това беше Капоти от "Хладнокръвно", макар и в съвсем различна светлина. Това беше авторът, който бавно, методично и сигурно ти влиза под кожата и категорично успява да вълнува. Сякаш няма значение с каква история ще се захване, на какъв сюжет ще заложи - думите му са така подбрани, че рисуват картини, които няма какво друго да направят, освен да докоснат.
"Автопортрет" окончателно ме срази и убеди, че Капоти е уникално същество, цветно, претенциозно, колоритно, много знаещо и много можещо. Това е човек, запознат в детайли със собствените си силни страни, който е категоричен в мненията си. Той е ексцентричен, сноб, той е общителен и много затворен, когато пожелае - познава добре правилата на играта и най-важното: може да прецени, кога е достойно да спреш:
"Винаги ме е поразявала с абсурдността си и ми е изглеждала даже неприлична цялата козметична и медицинска индустрия, изградена на жаждата за младост, страх от старостта, ужас от смъртта. Та кой, по дяволите, иска да живее вечно? Повечето от нас очевидно; но това е идиотщина. В края на краищата има нещо, което се нарича пресищане от живота: една точка, след която всичко се превръща в усилие и повторение"
" - Какво ви плаши тогава?
- Мисълта, че мога да загубя чувството си за хумор. Да остана ум без душа, да заслизам по пътеката на безумието и както се казва в гатанката на Зен, да прекарам остатъка от проваления си живот, вслушан как само едната длан пляска."
Ще направя кратка пауза, понеже доста книги ми се натрупаха, чакайки реда си и после се заемам с "Музика за хамелеони".
В случая, тук първоначално бях разколебана, голяма част от разказите не ме трогнаха, не ми допаднаха или просто не ги разбрах - не знам коя е причината. След това дойде ред на "Лола" - страниците, в които един гарван се мисли за куче. И това беше Капоти от "Хладнокръвно", макар и в съвсем различна светлина. Това беше авторът, който бавно, методично и сигурно ти влиза под кожата и категорично успява да вълнува. Сякаш няма значение с каква история ще се захване, на какъв сюжет ще заложи - думите му са така подбрани, че рисуват картини, които няма какво друго да направят, освен да докоснат.
"Автопортрет" окончателно ме срази и убеди, че Капоти е уникално същество, цветно, претенциозно, колоритно, много знаещо и много можещо. Това е човек, запознат в детайли със собствените си силни страни, който е категоричен в мненията си. Той е ексцентричен, сноб, той е общителен и много затворен, когато пожелае - познава добре правилата на играта и най-важното: може да прецени, кога е достойно да спреш:
"Винаги ме е поразявала с абсурдността си и ми е изглеждала даже неприлична цялата козметична и медицинска индустрия, изградена на жаждата за младост, страх от старостта, ужас от смъртта. Та кой, по дяволите, иска да живее вечно? Повечето от нас очевидно; но това е идиотщина. В края на краищата има нещо, което се нарича пресищане от живота: една точка, след която всичко се превръща в усилие и повторение"
" - Какво ви плаши тогава?
- Мисълта, че мога да загубя чувството си за хумор. Да остана ум без душа, да заслизам по пътеката на безумието и както се казва в гатанката на Зен, да прекарам остатъка от проваления си живот, вслушан как само едната длан пляска."
Ще направя кратка пауза, понеже доста книги ми се натрупаха, чакайки реда си и после се заемам с "Музика за хамелеони".
Read
June 15, 2014Classic Capote with some amazing stories. Of all his books, this one shines because the stories are mostly drawn from his own life. Not to be missed.
October 4, 2023
A bunch of short (and a few not so short) pieces from the author of IN COLD BLOOD and BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, neither of which I have read. These are generally pretty good, but the two longest works, which detail a tour of the Soviet Union by the road company of "Porgy and Bess," got on my nerves after a while so I skipped chunks of it. The pieces on Marlon Brando and his memories of places he has lived are quite good. At his best, he was a very visual author with a splendid sense of place. Add a star if you're a fan of Capote's writing. It DOES make me want to read. IN COLD BLOOD, though, which is supposed to be very good.
January 13, 2016
"Se oyen las musas" de Truman Capote es de lo mejor que me he leído en los últimos años. En serio. Es puro ritmo. Es la inteligencia hecha relato. Es la vida narrada con letras que hacen música. "Se oyen las musas" es un relato que está incluido en "Los perros ladran", y es una joya.
Y este libro no solo es bueno por ese relato de no ficción de una compañía teatral que visita a Rusia en tiempos de la guerra fría. No solamente. Sino porque tiene otros relatos de muchas lugares donde Truman vivió, y tiene muchas confidencias de pensamientos y conversaciones privadas que Capote recordó y eternizó con su pluma.
Es un libro de viajes, de ciudades, y sobre todo de personajes que titilaron alguna vez junto al autor de A sangre Fría. Es una de las mejores autobiografías que no es completamente, como el genero lo exige, una autobiografía. Pero aquí te enamoras del autor por el modo de contar los colores de los cielos y los ojos, por captar el detalle y no las generalidades, por escribir mejorando las anécdotas de muchas vidas ya de sí interesantes y hermosas.
Entonces, Truman Capote no solo es A sangre fría, que por supuesto es una brutalidad de obra, sino es uno de los mejores en la literatura moderna, porque encontró en la vida cotidiana los elementos para crear un obra original cuando ya la mayoría pensaban que todos los géneros estaban inventados y todas las clases de historias contadas.
Porgy and Bess son una gente estupenda. Es como vivir en un circo.
Y este libro no solo es bueno por ese relato de no ficción de una compañía teatral que visita a Rusia en tiempos de la guerra fría. No solamente. Sino porque tiene otros relatos de muchas lugares donde Truman vivió, y tiene muchas confidencias de pensamientos y conversaciones privadas que Capote recordó y eternizó con su pluma.
Viajar en ese vaivén a través de esos túneles sin sol ni estrellas produce la sensación de viajar con rumbo ignoto: el tren, precipitándose bajo un mundo inverosímil, parece destinado a la niebla y la bruma, y solo las luces fugaces de las estaciones revelan nuestras identidades.
Es un libro de viajes, de ciudades, y sobre todo de personajes que titilaron alguna vez junto al autor de A sangre Fría. Es una de las mejores autobiografías que no es completamente, como el genero lo exige, una autobiografía. Pero aquí te enamoras del autor por el modo de contar los colores de los cielos y los ojos, por captar el detalle y no las generalidades, por escribir mejorando las anécdotas de muchas vidas ya de sí interesantes y hermosas.
Pensar que puedo perder el sentido del humor. Convertirlo en una inteligencia sin alma, enfilar la pendiente hacia la locura, y por tanto, como dice el acertijo zen, pasar el resto de la vida escuchando el sonido de la palmada de una sola mano.
Entonces, Truman Capote no solo es A sangre fría, que por supuesto es una brutalidad de obra, sino es uno de los mejores en la literatura moderna, porque encontró en la vida cotidiana los elementos para crear un obra original cuando ya la mayoría pensaban que todos los géneros estaban inventados y todas las clases de historias contadas.
El tren se movía tan lentamente que las mariposas entraban y salían por la ventana.
June 21, 2016
Perfect armchair travel. I always love Capote's writing, and this book gave me a chance to learn about some of his personal experiences. Capote is a wordsmith, and paints vivid portraits of places and people. Enjoy!
September 25, 2007
just total genius. he was so witty and smart and captured instantly the whole soul of every topic he was talking about in a very particular way.
July 14, 2009
One of my top five favorite books of all time. Capote's writing on New Orleans, New York, and Europe is achingly beautiful.
July 29, 2011
05 'best books'=the week chosen by micheal gross, 740 park and model
June 18, 2017
A valuable way to become more familiar with Capote is through his short stories. This is a superior collection of his works.
July 17, 2013
divine!! I died laughing about the story with liz taylor and monty cliff. also the one with marilyn monroe is just great!
April 26, 2015
An excellent example of good text.
May 6, 2016
Truman is a perfect way to begin a summer of reading. A summer that is trying oh so desperately to begin.
May 9, 2011
It is a collection of beauty, Capote shares great observations in a stylistically fascinating way.
August 29, 2025
"Capote has raised lying to an art form---a minor art form". Gore Vidal. Truman Capote loved to startle people with proclamations of his own genius. In these collected pieces from the Fifties and Sixties he instead gives notice that he was a a born enfant terrible. THE DOGS BARK begins with a self-interview, a la' Norman Mailer, in which Capote asks Capote what all interviewers asked him, "What have you been doing since publishing IN COLD BLOOD?". Capote the interview subject answers, "working on my massive novel, ANSWERED PRAYERS, (a lie, no manuscript was ever found after his death), writing the narration to a TV documentary on the death penalty, never exhibited in the United States", (if so, it is lost to time) and a screenplay for THE GREAT GATSBY (from which he was fired by the studio). A wasted life, but one that made for good gossip. The best pieces in this collection are his interview with Marlon Brando in Japan, "The Duke in His Domain", "I'll kill him", Branded roared, for publicizing his mother's alcoholism, "The Muses are Heard", Capote's first-person account of the American theater troupe performing PORGY AND BESS in Russia, and a loving tribute to his old friend Humphrey Bogart, for whom he wrote BEAT THE DEVIL. This is a jeweled collection of stories by an aging publicity-hound, not yet under the spell of drugs and alcohol, who desperately wanted to be remembered.
May 22, 2019
Ironically, I read this book of observations on famous faces and interesting places (it has been on one of my bookshelves for decades) because I wanted to avoid books about politics and race for at least a week or two. The lengthiest and most interesting Capote observation focuses on a Christmas, 1956 "Porgy and Bess" tour of Russia. The Americans were warned that the Russians probably had cameras and recorders in the hotel walls, and the politicians were worried that the black opera about poor blacks would provide Russians with propaganda about how badly black people were treated. The Americans decided to say that the opera was set in a much earlier time. Really? Tell that to those of us living in 2019. The second longest and most interesting portrait was of eccentric actor Marlon Brando, making a movie in Japan. He also was worried about being spied on, but not by the Japanese. His co-star, comedian Red Buttons, and his wife lived upstairs in a residence with paper-thin walls and ceilings. A few other portraits of celebrities (like mentally ill poet Ezra Pound who said that anyone who could live in America is insane) are interesting, but Capote could not write for VANITY FAIR or NEW YORKER (or even PEOPLE) today, and his portraits of places make David Sedaris look like Hemingway, James, or Wharton.
December 7, 2017
A superior collection of the author's essays and assorted non-fiction writings. Personal favourites would include "Lola" (pet raven), "The Muses are Heard" (reportage), "The Duke in his Domain" (Brando profile), "Ghosts in Sunlight: The Filming of In Cold Blood", and the concluding "Self-Portrait".
Capote really was quite good.
Capote really was quite good.
June 5, 2019
Took me forever to finish! But worth it - it’s like getting to travel around the world in period piece films. If anything, this book will inspire you to keep a journal.
September 18, 2019
Excellent
May 1, 2020
3.5 Some of these essays are wonderful, others a bit dull. I am a aiming to be a Capote completist though and I love to hate his personality and this book did not disappoint.
August 23, 2020
An OG...and originally from NOLA to boot (no pun intended but nevertheless appreciated). Literally does no wrong.
June 3, 2021
Fabulous.
Read
November 12, 2022I loved reading Truman Capote's non-fiction pieces! His long-form article on the musical company staging Porgy and Bess in the USSR was fascinating.
March 26, 2024
creo que teniéndote rencor es la única forma sana de admirarte…
August 30, 2024
Some moments of brilliance. Actually enjoyed the works of non-fiction more than the fiction. Glad to have read the less obscure works I was not familiar with until now.
October 17, 2024
Phenomenal collection that spans much of Capote’s work. I enjoyed it.
July 21, 2025
Perfecto. Grandes crónicas y una buena oportunidad de conocer (si es que no se sabe todo ya) un poco más de la cabeza de este gran autor. Alto desmadre.
July 27, 2025
Leer a Capote contar su vida es mi cosa favorita del mundo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews