Biography

To celebrate his success, Truman hosted what was to become one of the greatest social events ever, the Black and White Ball. The highest in society were invited to the Grand Ballroom at the New York City Plaza Hotel to be held November 28, 1966. The event was talked about for years and would be the highlight of Truman's social career.

Truman's ability to cut to the truth in his writings would eventually turn his society friends against him. After In Cold Blood, Truman began work on a collection of stories that would become Answered Prayers. The first of these stories was printed in 1975 in Esquire magazine. In these stories, Truman characterized his friends in his biting descriptions with largely factual accounts of the glittering world in which he moved. His friends easily saw through the thinly veiled characters and soon alienated him.

Truman took the fall from society's grace rather hard and soon acquired his mother's disease, alcoholism. His heavy drinking and drug use turned the genius into a moody recluse. His eccentric behavior increased and he would often come out of hiding for an interview or appearance, only to disappear again.

He was an frequent guest of Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and it was with Carson's ex-wife, Joanne Carson, that Truman would spend his last days. On August 25, 1984, Capote finally exited the world stage, a place where he left a permanent impact on culture and literature and will not soon be forgotten.

More than 20 years after his death, the world is still talking about Capote. A&E has re-released their biography of Capote on DVD and there are two major Hollywood pictures about Capote being released in the next year, Capote with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Have you Heard?, staring Toby Jones and Sandra Bullock.

Truman once said, "Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act." Whatever the outcome, Truman's play of life is definitely on not to miss.

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