Born On This Day- April 28th... American Writer Nell Harper Lee

Seemingly impossible, I did not read To Kill A Mockingbird as a young person, & I didn’t see the film until 2005, at the Husband’s insistence. I certainly would have been better briefed for adulthood if I had encountered this masterpiece of an American novel in my early teens rather than early 50s. The book is in a tie for my favorite tome of all time.

Harper Lee is a noiseless nonconformist. Her cold shoulder towards celebrity is challenging to conceive of in today's culture, especially for a popular writer. Lee hoped her book would meet a "quick & merciful death”. It achieved immortality, the most popular American novel of the 20th century. The film version, has a perfect screenplay by Horton Foote that is so spot on that they have merged in peoples’ heads.

Lee has wry sense of humor. She was the editor of the humor magazine at the University of Alabama. When told that her book had great appeal for children, Lee stated: "But I hate children. I can't stand them."

In 1950, a young frumpy girl, fresh from the University Of Alabama, minus her law degree, moved to NYC from her hometown of Monroeville. She didn't think she was up to much, just renewing her friendship with her childhood buddy- Truman Capote. She said she was writing a book & that was that. She published that book in 1960.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a barely disguised version of her Alabama family & her town’s Southern racial consciousness inspired, but it is also about Lee & Capote, childhood chums who become personally & artistically linked legends. They were precocious children with little in common with their peers, Lee was too rough for girls, & Capote was too soft for boys. They each had emotionally remote mothers: Capote's was a self- centered social climber; Lee's was deeply depressed. Capote's father attempted to seduce Lee in her teens, & she punched him in the nose; Capote hated Lee's gossipy mother, & later used her in a story called Mrs. Busybody.

Lee became a friend to Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch. She remains close to the actor's family. Peck's grandson, Harper Peck Voll, is named after her. In 2205, she was portrayed on film by Catherine Keener & Sandra Bullock. Lee continues to live a quiet, private life in NYC & Monroeville. She remains active in her church & community. She avoids anything to do with her still popular novel (selling a million copies a year & having never been out of print). Lee hasn't published a book since the Pulitzer Prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960. Lee turns 85 today.

Born On This Day- September 30th... Truman Capote

"I don't care what anybody says about me as long as it isn't true."

My mother is a very accomplished, intelligent, & serious woman, but she always has had a sly interest in show biz & celebrity gossip. She told me the details & intricate ins & outs of the Elizabeth Taylor + Eddie Fisher + Debbie Reynolds divorces & marriages when I was just 5 years old. I appreciated that she explained that one to me. I remember well, being 12 years old & my mother giving me the low down on the infamous “party of the century”- Truman Capote's Black & White Ball.


The now legendary Black & White Masked Ball was a bash that Truman Capote threw at Manhattan's Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966. The guest of honor was Katharine Graham, president of the Washington Post Co., but no one had any illusions: The purpose of this gala was to celebrate the host, a serious writer, but also a serious celebrity. There had never been much doubt about the celebrity part, from the moment that he styled himself as a male nymphet for his 1st novel's jacket photo; Capote had shown a rare talent for self promotion. What had been in doubt were his literary accomplishments. As he entered his forties, the once promising young writer had produced only a few slim volumes of exquisitely written fiction & journalism. But recently In Cold Blood, a masterpiece in a new genre- the non-fiction novel & a milestone in popular culture, had buried his skeptics, & it was time to celebrate. Capote's plan was to mix & match people: titled aristocrats with intellectuals with ordinary folk from the rural Kansas county where the In Cold Blood murders had occurred. But in this respect, the party seems to have failed. "I've never seen such ghettoizing in all my life," complained Capote's lover- Jack Dunphy. "No group mixed with another group." As for the excluded, on the cover of the next Esquire, under the title "We wouldn't have come even if you had invited us, Truman Capote" was a photo of a surly looking group comprising Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Pat Brown, Ed Sullivan, Pierre Salinger, Lynn Redgrave & Casey Stengel.

From the moment my mother told me about the Black & White Ball, I became fascinated by Truman Capote (at 5’3’’ he was dubbed the Tiny Terror) & I went on to read everything by & about him. I was fascinated by his distinctive, high-pitched voice & odd vocal mannerisms, his offbeat manner of dress & his fabulous stories when he would appear on TV talk shows. I have everything he has written, plus biographies, diaries & books of letters. He is a member of a handful of authors that make up the club: Stephen’s Favorite Writers. He had a long standing rivalry with another of my favorites- Gore Vidal. Their rivalry prompted another member of my club- Tennessee Williams to complain: "You would think they were running neck &neck for some fabulous gold prize." I own a first edition paperback of Breakfast At Tiffany’s. I love all his work, but my very favorite is A Christmas Memory. During the holidays I always re-read it, & I set a copy out, as part of a Christmas tableau, on a table as a holiday ritual.

"All literature is gossip."