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A House on the Heights
The tranquil life he led in the quiet enclave of Brooklyn Heights stood in sharp contrast to the glittering scene he adored on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge, but for a few years in the 1950's and '60's, Truman Capote happily made his home in a yellow brick house on Willow Street. By turns wistful and farcical, A House on the Heights vividly evokes a neighborhood Capote described as among Brooklyn's "splendid contradictions," a world of grand homes and dimly recalled gentility, of mysterious warehouses and cartoonish street thugs, of antiques and dowagers, a broad yard overhung with wisteria, and the famous Esplanade with its incomparable view—all rendered in Capote's deft and stylish prose.
43 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2002
2 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Truman Capote
348 books7,355 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 28, 2020
A vivid portrait of a neighborhood and its inhabitants. Rich, creative use of language. So lovely.
May 30, 2022
Oh Capote and his prose. Precise yet whimsical. I’m always floored by the bizarre ending, with his near tussle with the “Cobras,” the ominous gang that prowls below Atlantic Avenue, the physical and cultural boundary that presses against “authentic” Brooklyn Heights. What an editorial choice. It illustrates that in so many ways, this essay is just as much about class biases as it is about chronicling an untouched, unique village. This is the one piece of writing about which I’d want to sit down and chat with Capote. A remarkable little piece that takes about 20 minutes to read, but much longer to really process.
October 6, 2022
Truman Capote had such an amazing talent for describing things. "a time of tree-shrouded streets, lanes limp with willow..." "...not a sound except foghorns and a distant traffic whisper from the bridge..." and (describing a woman's mixed breed rescued stray dog) "...a friendly, nice dog of cruel pedigree: a spaniel cum chow attached to the legs of a dachshund.". Loved reading the book. I wish it had been longer.
May 19, 2010
A great, short work by Capote on his experiences living in Brooklyn Heights. I love the descriptions of the neighborhood, from his apartment in the charming yellow house on Willow Street to the shady characters by the water. Makes me wish I was a writer about 50 years ago in those shady streets.
August 14, 2016
Capote's writing is always beautiful, but never more simply so than in these little descriptive non-fiction gems; in which he only describes places and people.
September 1, 2019
I read this to fulfill part of Goodreads' Summer Reading Challenge; it is the only book I own that is less than a hundred pages. I have meant to read it for years, though. A co-worker at The New York Review of Books gave it to me as a housewarming gift of sorts when I moved to Brooklyn Heights in 2010. I lived on Willow Pl, several blocks south of Willow St, where Capote resided when he wrote this piece. I often walked by his old residence and became very familiar with it, but I never bothered to actually read the book until now. In a way, I'm glad I waited so long; I haven't lived in Brooklyn Heights since 2011, although I dearly miss the place—it's the best neighborhood in New York, by far—and Capote's piece evoked clear memories of my old neighborhood, of the Promenade, of Fulton and Pineapple Streets, of the beauty of autumn and the hopefulness of spring in Brooklyn Heights. His poetic language brilliantly captures the spirit of this neighborhood, tucked into the northeast corner of Brooklyn, just a stone's throw from Manhattan; it was instantly recognizable, despite the fact that a lot has no doubt changed since Capote lived there (and there have probably been a lot of changes since I called it home nearly a decade ago). A fun read that brought back old memories, although to be honest, the piece is nothing remarkable; it only mattered to me because of the fondness Capote and I share for Brooklyn Heights.
July 25, 2020
Adoro Truman Capote
Questo piccolo racconto è una perla stilistica dalla scrittura deliziosa, pagine di diario e di storia della zona di Brooklyn, gli Heights, e dell'esperienza di zona vissuta da Capote, Capote è capace di suscitare emozioni in poche pagine con una scrittura semplice e vivida. Un racconto di poche pagine da leggere assolutamente!
- gatti, soprattutto, gatti a non finire.
Questo piccolo racconto è una perla stilistica dalla scrittura deliziosa, pagine di diario e di storia della zona di Brooklyn, gli Heights, e dell'esperienza di zona vissuta da Capote, Capote è capace di suscitare emozioni in poche pagine con una scrittura semplice e vivida. Un racconto di poche pagine da leggere assolutamente!
- gatti, soprattutto, gatti a non finire.
June 22, 2023
Il mio primo libro di Truman Capote. Un racconto che può essere definito una fotografia della Brooklyn degli anni 50. Attraverso un diario personale dell’autore, camminiamo tra le viuzze del quartiere, entriamo nei negozi (quello di Papà è il 🔝), incontriamo la gente che lo abita. Il tutto con una scrittura impeccabile!
November 14, 2024
A well written essay, my only grouse with it being with its length.. too short and the end seemed to have come not from a lack of things to say but perhaps a lack of a will to say them!
That as it may be, it was wholly enjoyable while it lasted...gave one quite a clear view of Brooklyn (and perhaps New York too) of the 50s and 60s.
That as it may be, it was wholly enjoyable while it lasted...gave one quite a clear view of Brooklyn (and perhaps New York too) of the 50s and 60s.
April 16, 2020
Libro 2018
December 14, 2020
A toughy for a non-native speaker
February 7, 2021
Breve ed emozionante racconto della vita nel celebre quartiere di fronte al ponte di Brooklyn.
April 6, 2021
Vivid, but something about it felt very long and monotonous despite it being a very short insight into his life in NYC.
May 28, 2021
Un racconto divertente, trascinante e pieno di impressioni, profumi, personaggi strambi... ottimo per passare un pomeriggio ozioso.
March 5, 2025
Capote at his heights of word alchemy. Written during a period in his life in Brooklyn that produced Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood. The end remembrance is haunting and so prothetic.
July 17, 2014
I have never read any Capote before, and that's my fault, but if this little article-turned-book is any indication, I am not sure I will be correcting that any time soon.
An insufficiently critical and overly charming reflection on Brooklyn Heights in the late 1950s. Only the ending with his running into young gang members on the borders of the neighborhood and his retreat back to the tree-lined streets of the Heights gives us anything to chew on, but mostly what it gives is evidence that the attitudes of gentrifiers have a long history that develops in cycles to erase, undervalue or displace poor people of color.
An insufficiently critical and overly charming reflection on Brooklyn Heights in the late 1950s. Only the ending with his running into young gang members on the borders of the neighborhood and his retreat back to the tree-lined streets of the Heights gives us anything to chew on, but mostly what it gives is evidence that the attitudes of gentrifiers have a long history that develops in cycles to erase, undervalue or displace poor people of color.
April 3, 2024
"Deve essere durato così per circa un secolo: strade fiancheggiate da alberi ombrosi, vialetti languidi di salici, giardini che in agosto ronzavano di calabroni e profumavano d'erba, sirene di navi che gridavano al vento, e una distesa verde di prato che digradava verso il porto."
Tra un librone e l'altro mi piace spezzare un po' con letture brevi e questo libro mi ha fatto viaggiare in America per un paio di ore.
Mi sono ritrovata nella San Francisco degli anni 50 grazie alla scrittura di Capote che rende il racconto nitido come una fotografia per il lettore.
Tra un librone e l'altro mi piace spezzare un po' con letture brevi e questo libro mi ha fatto viaggiare in America per un paio di ore.
Mi sono ritrovata nella San Francisco degli anni 50 grazie alla scrittura di Capote che rende il racconto nitido come una fotografia per il lettore.
July 29, 2007
Eh, I used to live around the corner.
August 9, 2010
3.5 stars for this essay. it was an amusement park. without the heart of my favorite capotes. and how can he write so well? answer me that.
August 5, 2011
This novella describes Capote
June 15, 2012
Utterly pretentious waste of time.
July 21, 2012
Loved it. His writing paints such pictures.
September 1, 2015
This is a handbag-sized hardback edition. A very short tale which would probably be most relevant to someone who already lives in Brooklyn.
February 24, 2016
Charming, innocuous magazine puff piece. It's now included in the new collected essays, "Portraits and Observations."
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews