Southern Haunting of Truman Capote

Like many Southern writers of the 1930s and 1940s, who as a group created the richest, mostmemorable body of regional literature in the history of American letters, Truman Capote eventuallyjourneyed northward. As the years passed, Capotes moorings to his Southern past grewweaker and weaker, and he deliberately cut himself off from the people and places that providedfodder for much of his early fiction.The Southern Haunting of Truman Capote is a thoughtful reflection on the literary originsof four of Capotes important early worksA Christmas Memory, The Grass Harp, Children onTheir Birthdays, and Other Voices, Other Roomsin light of the boyhood experiences that inspiredthem.Marie Rudisill, a younger sister of Capotes mother, was the only one of her nephewscompanions to have known him well his entire life. Because of this close relationship, she gaineda unique perspective on her nephews development as one of Americas leading novelists. Writtenat the encouragement of Capotes longtime editor, Joe Fox, The Southern Haunting of TrumanCapote provides a useful point of view for understanding Capotes work.