Stansfield here again. Sisyphus is currently being battered by Hurricane Rita, so he may be out for a bit. I'm going to take advantage of that situation and shift for a second off our political debate. Or philosophical, as Sisyphus calls it.
I picked up a couple books at the library last night. One is crap (The Arcanum – no idea who wrote it, but keep away. It’s pure drivel.) and one is turning out to be as good as I’d hoped.
Several days ago, I saw a trailer for ‘Capote’, with the title role played by an excellent actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. If Hoffman can bring the character to life as well as Robert Morse did in the one man Broadway show ‘Tru’, Hoffman will deserve an Oscar. Early reviews are indicating this might be the case.
Combined with ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’ served to push me to get a degree in forensic science (which I use daily in my life as a computer programmer. My parents must be so proud.). I have a thing for Truman Capote. I am not gay, nor do I live the high life socially speaking, but I have felt drawn to Capote since that first book.
So after seeing that trailer, I head to the library to see if there are any biographies of Truman other than the famous and enjoyable Gerald Clarke tome. There I find George Plimpton’s ‘Capote’, written as Plimpton’s RFK bio was – an oral biography. Stories told by the people who knew him.
This book was published in 2001, I believe, so I’m kicking myself for not finding it sooner. But a bio on Capote, by none other than George Plimpton! The first chapter alone captured more of the south, Harper Lee, and Truman as a child than I ever knew; the picture painted by this book is as vivid as any movie could ever hope to be.
My wife asked me why I would feel so drawn to a gay, drug-abusing, socialite who died when I was 8 years old. It’s tough to explain to those who’ve never read Breakfast at Tiffany’s or In Cold Blood. Capote reminds me a lot of Marilyn Monroe – someone given an incredible gift (talented writer/beauty), but is oft tortured by the very having of that gift. There is a sadness carried with their grace. Capote seemed to both hate and love himself and his nature at the same time.
The film, ‘Capote’, is based predominately on the Clarke biography. Plimpton’s book is apparently being turned into a film called either (depending which google link you choose) ‘Have You Heard?’ or ‘Every Word is True.’ As good as the Plimpton book is turning out to be, I am skeptical of any interpretation where Harper Lee is played by Sandra Bullock, Mark Wahlberg is cast as Perry, and a pun may or may not be used in the title.
Either way, great time for Capote fans.
I picked up a couple books at the library last night. One is crap (The Arcanum – no idea who wrote it, but keep away. It’s pure drivel.) and one is turning out to be as good as I’d hoped.
Several days ago, I saw a trailer for ‘Capote’, with the title role played by an excellent actor, Phillip Seymour Hoffman. If Hoffman can bring the character to life as well as Robert Morse did in the one man Broadway show ‘Tru’, Hoffman will deserve an Oscar. Early reviews are indicating this might be the case.
Combined with ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’ served to push me to get a degree in forensic science (which I use daily in my life as a computer programmer. My parents must be so proud.). I have a thing for Truman Capote. I am not gay, nor do I live the high life socially speaking, but I have felt drawn to Capote since that first book.
So after seeing that trailer, I head to the library to see if there are any biographies of Truman other than the famous and enjoyable Gerald Clarke tome. There I find George Plimpton’s ‘Capote’, written as Plimpton’s RFK bio was – an oral biography. Stories told by the people who knew him.
This book was published in 2001, I believe, so I’m kicking myself for not finding it sooner. But a bio on Capote, by none other than George Plimpton! The first chapter alone captured more of the south, Harper Lee, and Truman as a child than I ever knew; the picture painted by this book is as vivid as any movie could ever hope to be.
My wife asked me why I would feel so drawn to a gay, drug-abusing, socialite who died when I was 8 years old. It’s tough to explain to those who’ve never read Breakfast at Tiffany’s or In Cold Blood. Capote reminds me a lot of Marilyn Monroe – someone given an incredible gift (talented writer/beauty), but is oft tortured by the very having of that gift. There is a sadness carried with their grace. Capote seemed to both hate and love himself and his nature at the same time.
The film, ‘Capote’, is based predominately on the Clarke biography. Plimpton’s book is apparently being turned into a film called either (depending which google link you choose) ‘Have You Heard?’ or ‘Every Word is True.’ As good as the Plimpton book is turning out to be, I am skeptical of any interpretation where Harper Lee is played by Sandra Bullock, Mark Wahlberg is cast as Perry, and a pun may or may not be used in the title.
Either way, great time for Capote fans.
posted by Sisyphus at 6:49 AM
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