The Southern Haunting of Truma

Like many Southern writers of the 1930s and 1940s, who as a group created the richest, most memorable body of regional literature in the history of American letters, Truman Capote eventually journeyed northward. As the years passed, Capote’s moorings to his Southern past grew weaker and weaker, and he deliberately cut himself off from the people and places that provided fodder for much of his early fiction.

The Southern Haunting of Truman Capote is a thoughtful reflection on the literary origins of four of Capote’s important early works—A Christmas Memory, The Grass Harp, “Children on Their Birthdays,” and Other Voices, Other Rooms—in light of the boyhood experiences that inspired them.

Marie Rudisill, a younger sister of Capote’s mother, was the only one of her nephew’s companions to have known him well his entire life. Because of this close relationship, she gained a unique perspective on her nephew’s development as one of America’s leading novelists. Written at the encouragement of Capote’s longtime editor, Joe Fox, The Southern Haunting of Truman Capote provides a useful point of view for understanding Capote’s work.

...a delightful little book of wonderful tidbits and very personal insights into the life, family and famous friends of one of America's leading writers. -- Tennessean, Nov. 5, 2000

Capote devotees will reap insights into his writing, but even those who know nothing of him will find Rudisill's book fascinating. -- St. Petersburg Times, Oct. 22, 2000

Rudisill's remembrance of her nephew's past provides a marvelous tribute to the inextricably Southern quality of Capote's writing. -- The State, Oct. 22, 2000