Truman Capote is one of my favorite writers of all time, and his book The Dogs Bark: Public People and Private Places, demonstrates his wit, sense of humor, and incredibly astute eye for detail. He writes about many different people (Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Isak Dinesen, etc.) and places (New Orleans, Brooklyn, Russia, Japan, etc.). Some of my favorite quotes:
From New Orleans: Miss Y. does not believe in the world beyond N.O. ; at times her insularity results, as it did today, in rather chilling remarks. I had mentioned a recent trip to New York, whereupon she, arching an eyebrow, replied gently, "Oh? And how are things in country?"
From New York: Could it be that the transition from innocence to wisdom happens in that moment when we discover not all the world loves us?
From Brooklyn: I wanted to blow her up. She's a stinking pig; she and Cook have it fixed up between them never to give me any chocolate sauce so she can gobble it all her big fat self.
From A Ride Through Spain: In our compartment, the dark , dusty mother sat just as we had left her. She had not seen fit to join the party. She gave me a long, glittering look. "Bandidos," she said, with a surly, unnecessary vigor.
From Self Portrait: Not long ago my doctor suggested that I adopt a hobby other than wine-tasting and fornication. He asked if I could think of anything. "Yes, murder." He laughed, we both did, except I wasn't laughing. Poor man, little did he know what a painful and perfect demise I'd planned for him when, after eight days abed with something closely resembling black cholera, he still refused to pay me a house call.
And I truly loved Capote's account of a raven with clipped wings who he comes to care for, named Lola.
No comments:
Post a Comment