Portraits and Observations

FromtheModernLibrary’snewsetofbeautifullyrepackagedhardcoverclassicsbyTrumanCapote—alsoavailableareBreakfastatTiffany’sandOtherVoices，OtherRooms(inonevolume)，InColdBlood，andTheCompleteStoriesPerhapsnotwentieth-centurywriterwassoobservantandgracefulachroniclerofhistimesasTrumanCapote.PortraitsandObservationsisthefirstvolumedevotedsolelytoalltheessayseverpublishedbythismostbelovedofwriters.Includedaresuchmasterpiecesofnarrativenonfictionas“TheMusesAreHeard”andtheshortnonfictionnovel“HandcarvedCoffins，”aswellasmanylong-out-of-printessays，includingportraitsofMaeWest，HumphreyBogart，andMarilynMonroe.FromhistravelsketchesofBrooklyn，NewOrleans，andHollywood，writtenwhenhewastwenty-two，totheauthor’slastwrittenwords，“RememberingWillaCather，”composedthedaybeforehisdeathin1984，PortraitsandObservationsputsondisplaythefullspectrumofTrumanCapote’sbrilliance.CertainlyCapotewas，asSomersetMaughamfamouslycalledhim，“astylistofthefirstquality.”Butasthepiecesgatheredhereremindus，hewasalsoanartistofremarkablesubstance.