!!!

I've never really read Capote before and decided to start here -- glad I did because this is a great collection. The best of these are right up there with the best short stories, period, and even the stories that are underdeveloped or too obviously derivative of McCullers/Lee still nail that wistful, bittersweet tone that Capote does as well as anyone. I don't know how to describe it exactly; it's world-weary but with a core of innocence, ironic without really being cynical. Maybe this is partly because so many of the stories feature children (which is something I appreciate on its own), both as narrators and as characters.

Also: some of these are straight-up horror stories! I didn't expect that!

I was not a fan of In Cold Blood which I felt glorified murder and also am not a short story fan. Capote was a pretty eclectic guy and this collection is proof of that. Didn't like them all, no surprise there, the surprise was that I really enjoyed some of them : Jug of Silver, The Thanksgiving Visitor, A Christmas Memory, and One Christmas. After reading the intro I believe these stories were certainly influenced by many of his own adventures as a young boy being raised in Alabama by extended family with mostly absent parents . The other ( more modern and urban ) stories have pretty random subjects and I liked them less. 3.5 stars

I adore and admire Capote's nonfiction, so it’s little surprise that his short fiction that affected me the most was autobiographical. But most of the stories here gravitated towards the gothic. Their weight was on the eerie, the mysterious, and sometimes on the surprise at the end. The details were beautiful, the characterisation – sometimes great. But because the centre, the heart, of the tales relied more on genre than on particular experiences, they didn’t work for me. Most of them felt 'unfinished'. Having said this, I could see the talent in the writing, just not enjoy it that much.

These stories show a great capacity for capturing time, place and character. Highly evocative. On the whole I think I prefered the Depression era Alabama childhood stories to the more recently set ones, but the one set in a cemetary was great. This volume has made me take a wider interest in Capote's work.

Back when I was a morbid little teenager, I had a slight obsession with In Cold Blood. I don’t know exactly why I loved that book so much, but I think I appreciated how hard Capote tried to get inside the minds of murderers. During college, I read a few of Capote’s short stories, and I really liked them, so I decided to read all of his short stories.

Truman Capote was a talented writer. It sucks that he squandered his talent by drinking himself to death in his 50s. The stories in this book are highly realistic. They’re full of keen observations and a deep understanding of human behavior. He had a gift for capturing the atmosphere of a place, from the not-always-glitzy upper-class apartments of New York to poverty-stricken rural Alabama. These fictions are like little time capsules. They’re snapshots of the world as Capote saw it.

I like that the stories in this book are put in order by publication date. The first story was published in 1943. The last was published in 1982. I always like seeing how writers grow over the course of their careers. I agree with a lot of reviewers (and some fancy literary scholar people) that Capote’s Alabama stories are the best. They’re livelier than his New York tales. The Southern characters are quirkier and (sometimes) easier to love than their Northern counterparts. I can see myself rereading the Alabama stories in the future.

“This part of Alabama is swampy, with mosquitoes that could murder a buffalo, given half a chance, not to mention dangerous flying roaches and a posse of local rats big enough to haul a wagon train from here to Timbuctoo.” – The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

Obviously, I admire Capote’s work, but I do have an issue with him. Some of the stories have pretty blatant racism and ableism. I understand that the stories are a product of their time, but it’s still cringe-inducing.

I’m also not the biggest fan of the introduction that Reynolds Price (whoever he was) wrote for this book. It seems kind of harsh. If you’re about to read a big old book of stories, you don’t want an introduction that calls the stories derivative, “too easy,” and “[lacking] an emotional center.” That’s not how you sell a book, dude! I know that Capote was a teenager when he started publishing, and his early stories aren’t the best, but they’re not that bad. When I read Capote’s early work, I saw an extremely gifted young writer who was still finding his voice. All writers have to start somewhere. This book is Capote’s “complete” stories, not his greatest hits. Some of them are much better than others.

Let’s ignore Mr. Price. In my opinion, Capote excels at writing child characters. The kids in his stories are memorable little scene-stealers. All of my favorite stories in this collection involve children:

My favorite-favorite story is “Jug of Silver” (published in 1945). It’s set in the Depression era and is about a drugstore owner who fills a jug with coins as a promotion for his store. If someone can guess how much money is in the jug, they’ll win it. Two poor children come to the store every day and study the jug. The townspeople vacillate between hope and horror at this. They want the kids to win the jug, but they’re scared of how devastated the kids will be if they can’t guess the correct amount. I was just as hopeful and horrified as the townspeople. I really wanted the kids to win.

One of the Capote stories I’ve read several times before is “Miriam” (1945). This story is creepy. A woman named Miriam meets a child who is also named Miriam. Shortly after the two Miriams meet, the child shows up at the woman’s house and begins to psychologically torment her.

“Children on Their Birthdays” (1948) is one of Capote’s most well-known stories. It starts like this:

“Yesterday afternoon the six-o’clock bus ran over Miss Bobbit.” – The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

Miss Bobbit is a smart and sassy tween girl who has big business ideas and drives all the tween boys crazy. I like her huge personality. She’ll do whatever it takes to become famous.

Finally, I love Capote’s linked (and possibly autobiographical?) stories. They are “A Christmas Memory” (1956), “The Thanksgiving Visitor” (1967), and “One Christmas” (1982). These stories are about a young boy and his elderly cousin. The old woman has the mental capacity of a child, so they’re best friends and have a lot of fun together. It’s a sweet relationship.

“Small towns are best for spending Christmas, I think. They catch the mood quicker and change and come alive under its spell.” – The Complete Stories of Truman Capote

TL;DR: If you’re interested in classic American literature, you can’t ignore Truman Capote. This collection shows his impressive writing skills.

Terse, gothic, flamboyant, and surprising, with some beautiful passages: "In the country, spring is a time of small happenings happening quietly, hyacinth shoots thrusting in a garden...and midnight rain opening lilac." It seems from these stories that The South never leaves southerners, no matter how many identities they take on, even in New York.

Интересна колекция от разкази. Подредени са хронологично от ранния творчески период на Капоти през 40-те чак до 1982 г. Първата половина с по-ранни творби ми беше скучна. С навлизането в зрелия творчески период на Капоти, разказите ставаха по-добри, усещаше се и по-голямо задълбаване в биографични моменти от дeтствовата на автора в Алабама, лелите на Капоти бяха интересни образи, южняшката сцена беше изрисувана впечатляващо, както при Фокнър, Бредбъри и Харпър Ли, драмите с майка му и баща му в различни вариации - очевидно тема, която го е тормозела цял живот. Оценявам много високо втората половина на сборника, докато първата половина ме остави по-скоро безразличен. Затова и оставям една балансирана оценка, но искам да прочета и други разкази на Труман Капоти, ако има.

297 pages. Donated 2010 May.

Most readers know Truman Capote as the author of Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood; or they remember his notorious social life and wild and witty public appearances. But he was also the author of superb short tales that were as elegant as they were heartfelt, as grotesque as they were compassionate. Now, on the occasion of what would have been his eightieth birthday, Random House presents the first collection that includes all of Capote's short fiction - a volume that confirms his status as one of the masters of this form.

I've read most of these before, but it's nice to read them all together, and in chronological arrangement. I loved the way this book printed the year of each story before it; I wish more collections would do this. Some of the earlier works didn't live up to my memories. "Miriam" and "A Tree of Night" weren't half as sharp and creepy as I'd previously thought. In general, with some exceptions, I didn't really dig the stories themselves. But his writing is a dream. Wonderful. My favorite was "Master Misery," and I've always liked "A Diamond Guitar."

Me han encantado los cuentos de Truman Capote. Unos más que otros, pero todos son de una calidad literaria insuperable. Recomiendo su lectura.

I really enjoyed the range Capote had with his stories. Some of them were touching and left you thinking about cheerful moments in your own life, while others gave you a bit of dread. There is most certainly at least one story for everybody in here and deserves being read by any fan of good writing.