How One Story Ruined Truman Capote’s Life

In the mid-’50s, Norman Mailer described Truman Capote as “a ballsy little guy,” yet also “the most perfect writer of my generation, he writes the best sentences, word for word, rhythm for rhythm.” Mailer added, “he has less to say than any good writer I know,” due to his “attractions to Society.” It comes as no surprise that Ryan Murphy, who is drawn to the sordid complexities underneath polished, shiny surfaces, chose to explore the public coming-apart of one of the last great literary celebrities. In Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, which debuted its first two episodes on FX this Wednesday night (streaming on Hulu), he takes on the Esquire story that ruined Capote’s standing with his society friends.

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