Holly

by Truman Capote

Paperback, 1957

Status

Available

Call number

813

Library's review

Indeholder "Forord af Karen Blixen", "Holly", "Blomsterhus", "En diamantguitar", "Et juleminde".

"Forord af Karen Blixen" kommer med en masse henvisninger til andre fortællinger, og Blixen er tydeligt begejstret for Capote, men det er ikke ret godt formidlet, hvis man ikke lige kender alle hendes

henvisninger eller har læst andre af Truman Capotes tekster.
"Holly" handler om ???
"Blomsterhus" handler om ???
"En diamantguitar" handler om ???
"Et juleminde" handler om ???

???

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Genres

General Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

Tranebøger

Publication

[Kbh.] Gyldendal 1957 178 s. 3. oplag Tranebog T208

Description

Contains: Breakfast at Tiffany's House of Flowers A Diamond Guitar A Christmas Memory

User reviews

LibraryThing member AngelaJMaher

I hadn't read anything by Truman Capote before this, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found was a narrative that completely absorbs, marvellous characters, and some really wonderful ways of describing things. A book that makes me want to read more by the author.

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LibraryThing member ConnieJo

Cute! A few gory details the movie omits. Holly meets the narrator while trying to avoid a lover that bites, Holly becomes pregnant at one point, and Holly's shocking and salty language. Otherwise, pretty much exactly the same as the movie.

Holly was a little less cute and a little more... ambiguous

here. Couldn't decide whether I loved her, admired her, or hated her. She was a character, though.

I did not enjoy the rather inconclusive ending, though. It made me feel like nothing at all happened. Maybe it didn't.

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LibraryThing member DarthDeverell

Truman Capote's classic story of Holly Golightly in Manhattan is the Great Gatsby of the early 1940s. Or is it 1950s? Capote set the story in 1943, but at points it bleeds into the 1950s, the period in which he was writing. Like Gatsby, Holly is an enigmatic character observed by the narrator and,

like Gatsby, she appears to breeze through life without a concern.
Those familiar with the story from the 1961 film directed by Blake Edwards will likely find the novella hard to approach. I had seen the film first, myself, and found the book to have a very different feel. While many of the same events still occur, there are several plot points that didn't make it to the movie since the Production Code still held sway in 1961. As a fan of the film, I miss the happy ending, but Capote's ambiguity better matches the spirit of the story as he wrote it.
This Folio Society edition features gorgeous artwork by Karen Klassen. In a stroke of brilliance, Klassen always portrays the unnamed narrator in shadow or as a void. Long-time fans of the movie might not enjoy Capote's original novella as much, but it fits into the same great pantheon of literature as The Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye.

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LibraryThing member etxgardener

Truman Capote's novella was made into a famous movie starring Audrey Hepburn in 1961. As one can usually say, teh written word is much better than the filmed version with it's somewhat saccharine ending. Capote's story is much more cynical, and although Holly Golightly still has the capacity to

charm, one realizes that, in reality, her life is not all she makes it out to be.

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LibraryThing member Helenliz

The edition I read has Breakfast at Tiffany's and three short stories. I loved one of the short stories far more than I enjoyed the other three.

Breakfast at Tiffany's has, at it's heart, Holly Golightly. She's a captivating character, bedazzling & bewitching all the men she comes across - but I'd

strongly suspect I'd not like her at all and would wonder if many women did. I couldn't decide if she was hopelessly naieve, or actually coldblooded & heartless. She seems to live off the gifts and presents of the many men who buzz round her, but I wouldn't say she was a prostitute as such. Escort maybe nearer the truth. She has dealings with the Mafia, acting (potentially unknowingly) as a messenger service between a jailed underworld boss and his cohorts. For delivering a "weather report" each week she earns herself some easy money, but it also lands her in Police custody.
Capote writes her in a very ambiguous way, such that you can't make up your mind how much of this seeming innocence is real and how much is just front. All of the men she comes into contact with are captivated by her, but not necessarily in a possessive manner, more the admiration of a beautiful object they can never posses.

Of the other stories, the one that really caught me was the last one - A Christmas Memory. In the way that all the Christmasses of childhood are more sparkly, more magic, more snowy, somehow just more "Christmassy" this tells of a particular Christmas shared by a small boy and an old woman. They collect pecans from the tree, buy whiskey from the illegal cafe and ingredients for 31 Christmas cakes, before collecting a tree and decorating it with bits & bobs found, rescued and collected. In one sense, nothing much happenes, but it holds the reader in a magic spell conjured up be memories of Christmas past. This I'd give 5 stars, and a box of tissues, to.

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LibraryThing member Becky221

Love this book -- love Capote's writing! Wonderful character development -- keeps you guessing. After reading this I just wanted to be as carefree as Holly Golightly!

LibraryThing member overthemoon

Funny, moving, brilliantly written; the characterization is marvellous - you can see, hear and almost smell them all. This edition just has the one novella (I also have a paperback which includes three other short stories) and is attractively illustrated.

LibraryThing member ptdilloway

I'm sure this was really risque back when it was first published. It might still be risque to some groups today. Though to many people now a flighty, promiscuous girl wouldn't be that big of a deal. Still it's very enjoyable. Of the 3 short stories the first seemed to end abruptly and the second

was kind of blah. It was the third, A Christmas Memory, that really blew me away. The relationship between the young boy ("Buddy") and the child-like elderly woman who's his cousin is so well-done and heartbreaking.

That is all.

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LibraryThing member Kristelh

The story of Holly Golightly (traveling). This is another of several books for me that features despair and nothing. Holly had no attachments, nothing was permanent. She was an identity she created as she went. She never names her cat. Her life was not permanent. The narrator tells us this story,

he is unnamed aspiring author (could it be Truman Capote). The various characters had funny names Trawler, Tomato, Spanella. This novella is a quick and interesting read but more famously known for the movie of the same title starring Audrey Hepburn. It’s the third work of the author’s that I’ve read and I’ve enjoyed them all.

First Words: I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighborhoods.

Last words: Flanked by potted plants and framed by clean lace curtains, he was seated in the window of a warm-looking room: I wondered what his name was, for I was certain he had one now, certain he'd arrived somewhere he belonged. African hut or whatever, I hope Holly has, too.

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LibraryThing member spounds

What an odd little story, but it makes me want to watch the movie again.

LibraryThing member booksandscones

Saw the movie first, in 1962. It was the first "adult" movie I was permitted to see. Some of the story probably went over my head (when I saw it again on TV when I was older, "Fred" seemed to be the "kept man" of an older woman), but I loved, loved that movie & Audrey Hepburn. Actually didn't

notice George Peppard as "Fred" all that much although he was very handsome in those days. Loved Cat!

Read the book later, as a teen in the 1960s. I was unsettled to see that Holly was described as "two months shy of her nineteenth birthday", given that she lived in New York by getting money and gifts from men, although Truman Capote and the narrator, "Fred", were adamant that she wasn't a prostitute. The later revelation of her past (she was found as a half-starved runaway by Doc Golightly and married him when she was 14, "a child bride from Tulip, Texas") explained her world-weariness and her longing for a different life. Her unshakeable optimism & unique take on life more than made up for any perceived character flaws.

An unforgettable character from 20th century literature.

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LibraryThing member olevia

Wonderful reading by Michael C. Hall.

LibraryThing member brakketh

Love Capote's writing, fun and brisk novella about a socialite and her neighbour who is fascinated by her.

LibraryThing member FPdC

This short novel, the portuguese translation of Breakfast at Tiffany's, tells the story of a country girl in the big city. A girl with a precise view of what she wants, but utterly egoistical in her dealings with others, which suits her fine, considering the human landscape that surrounds her. A

very entertaining reading.

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LibraryThing member LoveAtFirstBook

I had no idea that Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote was going to be so easy to read and enjoyable, but I guess I should have known! The movie is fantastic, so of course the book is better.

This novella follows Holly Golightly, a gorgeous, troubled, captivating, flighty woman who yearns for

beauty, success, and to find herself. She throws parties, dates many men, and has a few secrets. For instance, Holly Golightly visits a mafia boss in jail on a weekly basis and passes on the “weather report.”

If you are in need of a short, light classic to read, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a great one to pick up. It’s witty, charming, and you might not be able to stop yourself from falling in love with Holly Golightly.

For the full review, visit Love at First Book

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LibraryThing member Pepperwings

I love how a short book can encapsulate a feeling so well, and leave you asking some questions, but it still feels finished.

The book really left me with a different impression of the characters, and I wouldn't be surprised if Capote was inspired by a real person for this story, it almost seems

like he was writing about himself, or a version of himself, talking with Holly.

I enjoyed the style, and a little peek into these peoples' lives, though I don't think it's my usual fare, it was enjoyable nonetheless.

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LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe

The famed novella that constitutes the bulk of this collection is everything you might have guessed it would be and more. It is everything in that it is liberally populated by the extreme and outré characters that appear in the equally famous film based on it. They are simply more extreme, almost

other-worldly, and more wise and venomous. Holly Golightly is both vapid and insightful. But also terribly, terribly young. And yet so sadly worldly wise. The environment positively reeks of sex and desire, but also a pervading hopelessness, except for those whose dreams remain (somewhat) pure. And there is no doubt that a St Christopher’s pendant from Tiffany’s represents the most that any of them can hope for. Thoroughly impressive writing that will stay with you a very long time.

The three short stories that bulk out this collection are less well-rounded though probably still highly outré. One is set on the island of Haiti, one is set is a southern prison camp, and the last is set in an extremely poor household during the depression. Each is fine in its way, but set against the brilliance of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, they pale by comparison.

Recommended.

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LibraryThing member melrailey

This was one of my best surprises this year in audiobooks. I bought it solely because Michael C. Hall was narrating and ended up loving it. Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of my all-time favorite movies but I never had a desire to read the book. But this looked like a wonderful narrator so I figured

"what the heck." What a wonderful story! It's got this magical writing to it that had me picturing the movie. I could see the characters from the movie. The actors so perfectly embodied the characters they played. The book was a bit darker than I remember the movie being but this is a terrific audiobook.

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LibraryThing member stephanie_M

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a romantic comedy movie starring Audrey Hepburn that the Library of Congress has recently deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. It was a cheesy and mildly offensive (Mickey Rooney’s character) adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella of

the same name. I recently had a chance to read Breakfast at Tiffany’s before rewatching the classic film and as I expected, it was another Hollywood butchering.

Like many readers, my first encounter with Breakfast At Tiffany's the book came after seeing the movie. The two have so much in common that it's difficult to separate them in my mind; the movie benefits from having Audrey Hepburn on the screen a lot in some nice costumes, but suffers from Blake Edwards' typical racial stereotyping, with its transformation of Mr Yunioshi into a bad joke.
But then, Audrey was in the story when I read it, too, so closely did her portrayal match the written character. It's rather difficult to believe that Capote favoured Marilyn Monroe for the part (as he is reported to have done) -- Hepburn even looks like the character described in the story, while Monroe doesn't.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s tells the story of the unnamed narrator and Holly Golightly who are tenants in the same Upper East Side brownstone. The novella follows the narrator’s observations the life of this Manhattan café society girl. Holly has no job, but she survives by socialising with wealthy men who in turn give her money and expensive gifts.

Despite the similarities between the novel and the movie, there are some interesting differences too, which I won't list here, as discovering them will be part of the fun of the book for anyone who's seen the movie. It is a novella with many layers to it. Abandonment, loneliness, the need to belong and yet not be chained at the same time, the delight in the unorthodox and last but not the least about not loving a wild thing.

The story is of the narrator's relationship with his neighbour Holly Golightly, proceeding from glimpses on the stairs, to passing acquaintance, to volatile friendship, and finally to unrequited love, and loss. But the real subject of the book is the unfolding of Holly's character and past. The book comes alive when Holly is in the room; she is one of the great memorable characters of modern fiction, and most readers will probably fall in love with her a little

It is important to note that Holly Golightly is not a prostitute; this is a popular misconception that is in fact debunked in the novel. There is a conversation about three thirds of the way through this novella where Holly says she could never be a prostitute, she can’t separate love and sex. Even Truman Capote had to come out and say that she wasn’t a prostitute, saying in an interview that “[Holly] was the prototype of today’s liberated female and representative of a whole breed of girls who live off men but are not prostitutes. They’re our version of the geisha girl.”

It is hard not to compare Breakfast at Tiffany’s the novella with the movie, everyone has seen the movie but I wish the book was as celebrated for its brilliance. The movie has a focus on romance but that’s way off. What I found in the novel was friendship, isolation and on a very basic level hopes and dreams. There was an element of love in the novella but less traditional love, more of a focus on unrequited love (the wealthy men’s towards Holly) and love between friends.

I loved this novella and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it. Capote’s writing was incredible and I feel like I need to read more of his, In Cold Blood is obviously a priority now.

Also included in the edition I read (and most editions, so far as I can tell) are three short stories by Capote: 'House of Flowers', about a Haitian prostitute; 'A Diamond Guitar', set in a Southern prison; and 'A Christmas Memory', the narrator's (possibly Capote's own) reminiscences of a childhood friend. I wonder how many readers stop when they finish Breakfast? I hope not many. Mainly because on reading 'A Christmas Memory', I have to admit it brought tears to my eyes. Especially when little Buddy is sent off to the military school and his friend is left alone to prepare the christmas cakes all by herself. No where in literature can you find the definition of nostalgic memories so beautifully crafted as in the last two pages of the story.

As for Breakfast at Tiffany's - Holly Golightly is something else. In the end, you pity her because you know, that she will never find her idea of perfection- her "Tiffany's", anywhere in the world. The curse of the wandering soul has left her alone and lonely.

Brilliant. I can't say enough to recommend this brilliant book. Read it first, and then watch the movie. Though Peppard and Hepburn proved worthy actors, the soul of the book, the innocence and the stark realization of real life is not as clearly depicted as in the book.

Capote engages the reader's attention in each story. His language is simple, and the reader never becomes bored with the storylines. Even though the novel was written 50 years ago, the writing is still fresh, has great flow to it, and its timeless. Also, Capote's capacity for dialogue borders on genius. I loved it, and I think capote may become my new favorite. 5 stars.

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LibraryThing member ViragoReads

I remembered enjoying the movie, but I hated this book. It was hard to get into, even with C. Michael Hall's narration. I didn't like the story or the characters as they were not likeable--particularly Holly. And don't get me started on the poor cat, who had no name and deserved better. I figured I

would adore the book since I liked the movie; however, I am now beginning to rethink my enjoyment of the film.

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LibraryThing member riida

such a short book...so much emotional wallop! (and a suprisingly wonderful performance by michael c. hall!)

LibraryThing member japaul22

I read this because it's on the 1001 books to read before you die list and it was available to read on my kindle from the library. I love the movie, and I was sort of hesitant to read the novella. I should have gone with my gut. The book is great, but just watch the movie and call it a day. Audrey

Hepburn is the best.

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LibraryThing member starbox

The highlight of this was not the title story- good tho it is- but the three other short stories."A Diamond Guitar" set in a men's prison in a forest was superb, but the final "A Christmas Memory" was just *5 writing

LibraryThing member connorshirs

Holly Golightly is a complete vulgar character—yet Truman Capote paints the portrait of such a sympathetic character. The movie and book don’t share the same plot, but are equal in terms of emotional impact.

This is is quite a superb book for the length that is. The plot was paced brilliantly

with a conclusion that will only make the reader sob. The cat represents Holly and this fact alone gives absolute depth to her personality—she is unable to give the cat a name as she does not keep her own. We watch Holly crumble from the point of view of the unnamed narrator up to the point of breakdown. Audrey Hepburn’s character was able to realize her own self-destructive behaviors in the end of the movie, but Truman Capote’s Holly Golightly still roams the world changing her name, refusing any sort of commitment, and is inevitably unable to see her own unhappiness.

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LibraryThing member Zoes_Human

There‘s some racist language in this that‘s awfully hard to stomach and a complete lack of lovable characters. There is something compelling about the story despite all that though. Michael C. Hall‘s narration is excellent.

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Original language

English

Original publication date

1958

Physical description

178 p.; 18.6 cm

Local notes

Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslagsfoto fra filmen forestiller Audrey Hepburn i rollen som Holly.
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra amerikansk "Breakfast at Tiffany's" af Frank Jæger
Gyldendals Tranebøger, bind 208

Oversat fra amerikansk "Holly" af Frank Jæger
Oversat fra amerikansk "House of Flowers" af Frank Jæger
Oversat fra amerikansk "A Diamond Guitar" af Frank Jæger
Oversat fra amerikansk "A Christmas Memory" af Frank Jæger