Saw your pictures of Jamaica in Vogue. Liked the one of you and the one of Bea [Beatrice Lillie] with a pickaninny on her back. [Noël] Coward and [Graham] Payn look too “Greenbay Tree” for anything: only you couldn’t cast either of them as the young man.203
Spring is long since over and it’s summer here. But I’m working too hard to enjoy it. But how I wish you could come for a flying visit before we leave. We both hope to be finished with our books in another month, and then we’re going to Venice and, early in August, to America. But as soon as the boat docks I’m going straight away to Wellfleet on Cape Cod where I’ve taken a house through the middle of September. I hope you come to New York sooner than usual this fall.
Tell me, darling, do you know anything about a young man called [Arnold] Saint Subber? He had something to do with producing Kiss Me Kate etc.204 What is his reputation—professionally, I mean. Because he has made a crazy proposition; wants to give me option money—just in the event I ever do write a play. It’s rather mad. I’m tempted only because at the moment I do need money. Should I? What do you think? Is he at all a person to respect?
Jack sends his very best love. I do miss you, little precious. Write me. Much love
T
[Collection St. John’s College, Cambridge University]
TO ANDREW LYNDON
[Taormina, Sicily]
May 16, 1951
Honey,
T’was about time you wrote me: you owed me two letters. I don’t understand why Phoebe hasn’t written me (or perhaps I do); still I’ve had 2 letters returned from addresses where she was Unknown.
You mention so many people that I never heard of. Who is Gene Price? Tell me everything about him. At any rate I’m very glad that Rita [Smith] is having this affair. Oh dear I hope it is a really good thing, and that it makes her happy. And who is Ruth Randall?
By the way, speaking of affairs, did you know that Goyen and K. A. Porter have been doing it for quite a spell? I do like Bill, but he is, as more and more I’ve discovered, an opportunist nonpareil. Anyway, having got what he wanted from KAP, he now has given her the air, and she is eating her heart out. All this I get from a very informed source—don’t pass it on, please.
I should have finished my book in another few weeks—but it only makes me nervous, so the least said etc. It’s been one long pull, and now I’m collecting breath for the final climb.
When do you plan to go to Macon? We expect to be home the end of July/first of August. I hope you will have found an apt. by then.
I have a line on a wonderful job for you, and maybe it will work out: American Editor of Botteghe Oscure. Princess Caetani is looking for someone, and I think you would be perfect.205 It would pay reasonably well too. I expect to see her in Rome next month, so will find out more then.
The weather has been wretched here the last week—sirocco every day. It really is as oppressive as Agatha Christie claims.
I want to know what Harold is up to—give him a kiss.
Are you in love? I sense a reticence in your letter.
Jack is well, and sends you his love. Kelly is covered with ticks and burrs: scratch, scratch. Myself, I do a lot of scratching too—I seem simply to breed crabs.
Write me immediately, darling—as I expect to leave here some 3 weeks hence.
l o v e
T
[Collection New York Public Library]
TO ROBERT LINSCOTT
[Taormina, Sicily]
May 29, 1951
Dear, Dear Bob
I finished the book! Two days ago—and then promptly came down with intestinal grippe, so have not been able to type it yet, but expect to get at it tomorrow. Anyway, you will have the manuscript very soon—in about 10 days.
Have no news at all. My story “House of Flowers” won an O. Henry prize.
But feel so weak—wanted just to tell you the glad tidings; at least I hope it is a glad tiding. By the time you get the chapter I probably will have left here. Let me know at once what you think—c/o American Express, Venice.
If all goes well I’ll be seeing you in early August. Have missed you so much
Love
T
[Collection Columbia University Library]
TO JOHN MALCOLM BRINNIN
Venice, c/o American Express
June 24th, 1951
O Radiant One,
Although it was addressed to Jack, I will stoop to answer your letter. Darling, you are a creature of habit; Yaddo, yadddooooo … through the ages; don’t you ever get just a wee bit weary of going there? You’re going to end up like Leonard Ehrlich.206 All the same I can’t wait to see your sweet lollipop face. Which is to say you must come to Venice before July 25th. We are taking a piccolo palazzo and so can put you and Bill up … or at least I think we are going to get the house; as usual, the landlord is crazy, and things have not got quite straightened out. But please do come quickly because you’ll be going back to Paris anyway. Venezia is more wonderful than ever, the weather is heaven … though some of the current inhabitants aren’t. All the rich international queens are here en force. A thrill of horror ran through me when I read about Indiana. I don’t think it’s at all a suitable proposal … of course everything like that tempts you, so probably you are all set to go. But I hope not. By the way, I never got your book of poems. I’m so happy about Farrar Straus taking Jack’s book. He sent them the last third of it but hasn’t heard. Jack sends love; love to Bill. Now hurry on over here, my sweet … at least do let me know whether to expect you before we leave Venice.
heart’s love T
[Collection University of Delaware Library]
TO ROBERT LINSCOTT
Venice, June 27th, 1951
Dear Bob,
I was under a strain not hearing from you, a neat little understatement, but your letter came yesterday and of course it only made me feel worse.
I cannot endure it that all of you think my book a failure; I am stricken by such an overpowering trinity of opinion.207 The vagueness of the criticism makes me feel even more helpless.
Perhaps you are right about the last chapter. Yet I don’t see what could have been done differently. You describe it as tapering off … which is exactly what I intended. When they leave the tree-house, that is the climax of the book; but what point would the book have unless the last chapter were written in exactly the mood it is: the destination of each character has been prepared from the beginning. Then there was the enormous technical problem: having already had my narrative climax, speed seemed to me of the essence … what I had left on my hands was a great lot of information, and it seems to me that I arranged this well. I think the end very moving and right. But of course at the moment I am too near to it really to know.
So I wonder if we should go ahead with a fall publication. I wonder if I shouldn’t see what improvements I can make.
The proofs still have not arrived. I did not cable this to you because I sent a cable to Rome asking whether they had arrived there and if so why the hell hadn’t they forwarded them here. I can’t believe they were sent airmail.
I am leaving here July 16th and will be in New York August 1st.
I’m sorry I dissapointed [sic] you, Bob. I know you are leaving now on vacation, so forget the whole thing and have a good time.
Love
T
[Collection Columbia University Library]
TO BENNETT CERF
Truman Capote
c/o American Express
Venice, Italy
July 3rd, 1951
Dear Bennett,
Your letter only just today arrived, for it had been sent to Sicily and forwarded.
I do deeply appreciate what you tell me. Bob had written me about your combined reservations … which came as a shock because I’d been so certain that what I’d done was right. But there is no point in going into any of my arguments; obviously there must be something wrong or you would not all feel as you do.
By all means we must postpone publication until I can make improvements.
You say several times that the first half is better than the last half … do you really mean “half” … or just the last chapter? I can rewrite the last chapter but I don’t understand what the criticism is of the other chapters.
As for Verena, it is essential that she be a sympathetic person in the end. In one sense, she has never NOT been sympathetic. The central emotional situation is between herself and Dolly … not between Dolly and the Judge. It simply would be psychologically untrue if Dolly did not go back to the house.208
But these problems are all mine. Anyway, is it only the last chapter that disturbs you?
I cannot make any basic change in the chapter … as to the events and outcome, I mean. What I can do is make it more gradual. I was conciously [sic] using the snynopsis [sic] method as a technical device; but if it reads like a synopsis, then
