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Truman Capote
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Music for Chameleons Paperback – March 29, 1994

by Truman Capote (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 468 ratings
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In these gems of reportage Truman Capote takes true stories and real people and renders them with the stylistic brio we expect from great fiction.

 “An incomparable stylist and entertainer . . . clean and cool . . . [with a] superb, near-perfect pitch with dialogue.” —The New York Times Book Review

Here we encounter an exquisitely preserved Creole aristocrat sipping absinthe in her Martinique salon; an enigmatic killer who sends his victims announcements of their forthcoming demise; and a proper Connecticut householder with a ruinous obsession for a twelve-year-old he has never met. And we meet Capote himself, who, whether he is smoking with his cleaning lady or trading sexual gossip with Marilyn Monroe, remains one of the most elegant, malicious, yet compassionate writers to train his eye on the social fauna of his time.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    March 29, 1994
  5. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.7 x 7.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0679745661
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0679745662
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

 “Electrifying . . . a knockout. Capote’s alacrity and cunning makes this his most enjoyable book.” —Newsweek

 “An incomparable stylist and entertainer . . . clean and cool . . . [with a] superb, near-perfect pitch with dialogue.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Everything is displayed in this book: insights and recollections of the famous and the obscure; old jokes and fresh wit. . . . These stories and vignettes will endure.” —The New Republic

From the Inside Flap

In these gems of reportage Truman Capote takes true stories and real people and renders then with the stylistic brio we expect from great fiction. Here we encounter an exquisitely preserved Creole aristocrat sipping absinthe in her Martinique salon; an enigmatic killer who sends his victims announcements of their forthcoming demise; and a proper Connecticut householder with a ruinous obsession for a twelve-year-old girl he has never met. And we meet Capote himself, who, whether he is smoking with his cleaning lady or trading sexual gossip with Marilyn Monroe, remainds one of the most elegant, malicious, yet compassionate writers to train his eye on the social fauna of our time.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition (March 29, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679745661
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679745662
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.7 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 468 ratings

About the author

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Truman Capote

Truman Capote

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Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1925 and was raised in various parts of the south, his family spending winters in New Orleans and summers in Alabama and New Georgia. By the age of fourteen he had already started writing short stories, some of which were published. He left school when he was fifteen and subsequently worked for the New Yorker which provided his first - and last - regular job. Following his spell with the New Yorker, Capote spent two years on a Louisiana farm where he wrote Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948). He lived, at one time or another, in Greece, Italy, Africa and the West Indies, and travelled in Russia and the Orient. He is the author of many highly praised books, including A Tree of Night and Other Stories (1949), The Grass Harp (1951), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958), In Cold Blood (1965), which immediately became the centre of a storm of controversy on its publication, Music for Chameleons (1980) and Answered Prayers (1986), all of which are published by Penguin. Truman Capote died in August 1984.

Photo by Jack Mitchell [CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
468 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mary Jane Naylor
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2013
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I didn't realize what a great writer Truman Capote was until I read "In Cold Blood". I thought I had already read it, but no, I had only seen maybe the movie. I was so impressed with that novel, I want to collect everything he's written and "Music for Chameleons" was one of them. True to his style, every word is in its place to its best fit, such an artist.

I remember seeing him on one of the late night talk shows; he was quite a character in his own right and very witty. I'm really sorry he died at a rather young age, but then, he started writing very young. By the time he was 17, he was an accomplished writer. He said he made the discovery of the difference in very good writing and true art. He had much to learn to perfect his craft, but even after becoming very proficient, he studied even more. Just reading the preface, I came to appreciate how much arduous work goes into becoming a top author. I had no idea.

Using a modified version of compiling all the techniques he learned, into one, he wrote a short novel, " Handcarved Coffins", which also appears in "Music for Chameleons". I think this was my favorite... a good crime novel.

There are six short stories in the first section, including "Music for Chameleons"; second section "Handcarved Coffins" is a nonfiction account of an American crime, which I truly enjoyed, and the third, "Conversational Portraits" contains seven more short stories. To tell the truth, although I love reading all Capote's stories, I didn't "get" the ending of a couple of them and I will reread these for better understanding. He sometimes was way above my head.
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Pippin O' Rohan
5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, Tru, Don't Let Me Commence
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2012
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When my Red Queen died recently, I grabbed your 'Music for Chameleons' and hopped a plane to Paris. It was not the first time I had chosen to take this book of yours along as a traveling companion so to speak. Your journalistic novel of short stories and anecdotes had crossed the Atlantic with me over twenty-five years ago for a family reunion in London, and it got me through a few bumpy days. To tell you the truth, I thought your stories then were fascinating and sometimes hilarious, but this time around, and now that I am older than you today, I read what you wrote more slowly and carefully. I didn't realize what a compassionate man you really were, and how non-judgmental when it comes to those who are having a rough struggle of it all. Whether it was Marilyn Monroe (A Beautiful Child), or your old classmate who self-destructed in his middle years, as you held on to him for dear life after his true confessions (Hello Stranger). But, first I have to tell you that when I opened your novel again, it fell on 'Handcarved Coffins' (A Non Fiction Account of An American Crime). This title made me pause because the first task I had to do on arrival in Paris was to throw my bag into a hotel room, and dash across town to choose an elegant casket that would suit a beautiful woman, known for her exquisite eye, who had requested long before her time came, a small noble funeral in the capital city where she had lived for the majority of her life. All to say, I was paying much more attention to you now, not only as a great American author (your early short stories are among my favorites), but as an individual who is writing towards the end of his life. I will tell you here that although you knew you were ill and failing at the time, your skills were sharper, innovative and brilliant as ever. So this time around, I didn't laugh out loud at your humorous recollections although some of your close calls were pretty funny in retrospect, especially when your friend the great star, Pearl Bailey, comes to your rescue at the airport in Los Angeles (Derring-Do), or you find yourself at night stranded in the middle of nowhere, knocking on the door of a kind woman with permanent cats-on-nap (A Lamp in The Window). Walking with your friend, the professional cleaning woman in New York, on her daily beat was priceless, and at the end when the two of you find yourselves in church after a wild day - Mary: 'Are you praying?' You: 'I'm praying for you, Mary, I want you to live forever' - Mary: 'Don't pray for me. I am already saved. Pray for all those lost souls out there'. And, your quiet and chilling interview with Robert Beausoleil of the Manson Clan (Then It All Came Down). Usually, I am unable to read such material as the latter, but if ever there was a portrayal of a man who is simply a killing machine and whose remaining link with humanity is hanging on the string of a guitar, you were able to write about it. These are just a few of your stories that come to mind here, not least and finally your bout of insomnia when you are tossing and turning, and in the end your memories of childhood come back and your faith in God as well. If I had to sum it up, I would like to think of you today with your wise elderly cousin, Sook, two beautiful paper kites high up in the bluest of crystal skies, long forgiven for having killed a mocking-bird, and enjoying your grandmother's cold banana pudding from Alabama. Hats off to you, Mr. Capote.
34 people found this helpful
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Angelica
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good short stories
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2012
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This is an excellent, very original book. It contains a short novel and non-fiction short stories, all inspired in real-life happenings the author dropped down in his diaries and journals over the years. As he explains in the Preface, he developed a specific style for these stories, a very neat, clean voice with him in the center, playing as an eyewitness in all of them. I have read other books by Truman Capote, but somehow, this one is different. Capote creates the environment for each of the stories as if he were a play writer, or better still, as if it was happening in that very moment. He immediately draws our attention to the conversation, or to the person he is watching, and we feel we are sitting in that park bench with him, letting time pass by.

The book itself is organized in three parts: Part I is Music for Chameleons, which is a collection of six short stories, Part II is the short non-fiction novel Handcarved Coffins, and Part III is Conversational Portraits, which are also short stories in the form of conversations with Pearl Bailey, Bobby Beausoleil, Willa Cather, Marilyn Monroe, among others. The last one is a different one, a conversation with himself, which has a different style and is his very original way to tell us his beliefs, his hopes and his fears.

I recommend the book to anyone. It's easy reading and yet, very profound.
10 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Love the author
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2024
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Fun With Chemo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stories
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2019
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I have been saying Music For Chameleons is at the top of my list of favorite books for many years and then I realized I read it once in my youth - so - I decided to read it again. It holds up as well or even better than I expected. Capote's writing is on such a high level, I consider it art. The stories are amazing. The title story is pure magic and Handcarved Coffins (His first true-life crime fiction) makes In Cold Blood almost inevitable. I strongly recommend this book of short stores and a novella to anyone who enjoys excellent writing!
10 people found this helpful
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M Pool
5.0 out of 5 stars The best of Capote
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2023
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The stories were both entertaining and informative. I learned a lot more about the genius of Capote. I highly recommend this book to Capote fans. If you’re too young to remember him, look him up!
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Norrlänning
5.0 out of 5 stars Truman Capote kunde verkligen skriva...
Reviewed in Sweden on November 10, 2023
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Det är intressant att se hur han använder språket på olika vis i berättelsen "My side of the matters" och sen i "jug of silver".
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Carolina
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesante
Reviewed in Spain on April 12, 2021
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Leí este libro y el de A Sangre Fría para mi clase universitaria de periodismo. Quedé encantada con los cuentos y relatos ficcionalizados. Mucha gente lo compra por el "portrait" de Marilyn Monroe pero definitivamente va más allá. Es muy de Capote tomar algo de la vida real y darle un toque (como si fuera una foto que subiste a Instagram con un filtro) -le llama non-fiction a los relatos que disque son reales pero ese término tiene sus complejidades. Recomiendo mucho a Truman Capote ya que es uno de los escritores del siglo XX que son indispensables.
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Sujoy Ghosh
5.0 out of 5 stars Delectable fare!
Reviewed in India on October 12, 2019
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This little book only reaffirms my liking for Capote as a writer. What I most admire about his style is his frank and honest look at the world around him. His words are well chosen, and the descriptions sometimes verge on the lyrical. I enjoyed all the pieces contained in this collection, my favourites being ‘Handcarved Coffins’, ‘Mojave’ and ‘A Day’s Work’.
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Mireille
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2017
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Gossipy and fun stories! Beautifully written.
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La discrète
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Brilliant!
Reviewed in France on April 6, 2014
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J'ai découvert T. Capote à travers ce recueil de récits, à chemin entre la fiction et l'autobiographie au gré des rencontres étranges et parfois rocambolesques qui ont émaillé la vie de Capote. Certains de ces récits m'ont tenue en haleine ne me laissant de répit tant que je n'en avais pas achevé la lecture ! De pures merveilles infernales !
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