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Capote discusses a disastrous childhood trip to New Orleans to spend one Christmas with his alcoholic father.

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9 reviews
It’s hard to describe, but Capote’s way of telling these stories from his childhood is very... verbal. That’s not the right word, there’s definitely a word for it, but what I mean to say is that it feels much more like you’re being spoken to than reading words on a page. Something about the casual way of the telling and the use of punctuation and sentence structure makes you feel like Truman has pulled you aside and gone “Did I ever tell you about that time...” And it feels natural, like he’s reliving the events right along with you, but not scattered, like he’s told this story a million times and knows exactly where to do an impression or pause dramatically or shake his head.

The effect it produces is powerful: genuine show more and intimate. It’s a rare gift to be able to spin tales this way without it feeling hokey or like a put-on. And I can’t explain it but it just feels cosy, even among the sadness that lingers at the edges of this story. show less
Truman Capote is at his best when he is telling a story of his childhood. There is a delightful charm about his home in Alabama and Miss Sook, and there is a poignant sadness when he speaks of his father and mother, who sound like two truly lost souls.

In this story, Capote is forced to spend Christmas with his father in New Orleans, separated from Miss Sook and the life he loves. At six, he is grappling already with the possibility that Santa Claus might not be real, as an older cousin is happy to inform him.

Every element of the story is perfect and I could hear the voice of Capote himself spying on the little boy he was.
A child's Christmas visit to his (mostly) absent father in New Orleans. Capote shares his experience with disarming candor and honesty. The ending will make you catch your breath.

A companion piece to his earlier "A Christmas Memory".

Os.,
Truman Capote spends a sad and unusual Christmas with his father whom he rarely sees. This novel contains autobiographical elements ---Bring tissue for tears.

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ThingScore 100
Capote schildert uns den kleinen Buddy als recht altklugen, aber eben auch lebensklugen Erzähler. Sein Buch ist mit einem lachenden und einem weinenden Auge zu lesen. Hans Wollschläger hat es glänzend übersetzt.
Lutz Hagestedt, literaturkritik.de
Jan 1, 2000
added by Indy133

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Author Information

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173+ Works 56,912 Members
Truman Capote, 1924 - 1984 Novelist and playwright Truman Streckfus Person was born in 1924 in New Orleans to a salesman and a 16-year-old beauty queen. His parents divorced when he was four years old and was then raised by relatives for a few years in Monroeville. His mother was remarried to a successful businessman, moved to New York, and Truman show more adopted his stepfather's surname. He attended Greenwich High School and never went to college. When he was 17, Capote's formal education ended when he was employed at The New Yorker magazine. He belived he did not need to go to college to be a writer, since he was writing seriously since age 11. Capote's first novel was "Other Voices, Other Rooms" (1948), which told the story of a boy growing up in the Deep South. "The Grass Harp" (1951) is about a young boy and his elderly cousin discovering that some compromise is necessary for people to live together in a community and was adapted to screen in 1996. The play "The House of Flowers" (1954) is a musical set in a West Indies bordello. Capote then wrote, "Breakfast at Tiffanys" (1958), which tells the story of how Holly Golightly goes to New York seeking happiness. Capote became preoccupied with journalism and, sparked by the murder of a wealthy family in Holcomb, Kansas, began interviewing the locals to recreate the lives of the murderers and their victims. The research and writing for this novel, "In Cold Blood" (1966), took six years for him to complete. Other works of Capote's include the classic "A Christmas Memory" (1966), which is an autobiographical account of a seven-year-old boy, his cousin, and an eccentric old lady, "Music for Chameleons" (1981), which is a collection of short pieces, interviews, stories and conversations that were published in several magazines, and "One Christmas" (1982). On August 26, 1984 in Los Angeles, Truman Capote died of liver disease complicated by phlebitis and multiple drug intoxication. Published after his death were "Conversations With Capote" (1985) and "Answered Prayers: The Untitled Novel" (1986). (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title*
Eine Weihnacht
Original publication date
1983
People/Characters
Truman Capote; Sook Faullk; Truman's father
Important places
Alabama, USA; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Important events
Christmas
Related movies
One Christmas (1994 | IMDb)
Dedication
For Gloria Dumphy
First words
First, a brief autobiographical prologue. My mother, who was exceptionally intelligent, was the most beautiful girl in Alabama.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Hello pop hope you are well I am and I am lurning to pedel my plain so fast I will soon be in the sky so keep your eyes open and yes I love you Buddy
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
DDC/MDS
813.54Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PS3505 .A59 .O5Language and LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literatureIndividual authors1900-1960

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118
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270,260
Reviews
9
Rating
(3.93)
Languages
7 — Danish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Media
Paper, Audiobook
ISBNs
18
UPCs
1