Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel
Encyclopedia
Answered Prayers is an unfinished novel
by American author Truman Capote
, published posthumously in 1986 in England and in 1987 in the United States.
: "Answered prayers cause more tears than those that remain unanswered". According to Joseph M. Fox's editor's note to the 1987 edition, Capote signed the initial contract for the novel on January 5, 1966 with Random House
. This agreement provided a $25,000 advance with a stipulated delivery date of January 1, 1968. Distracted by the success of his "nonfiction novel," In Cold Blood
, the Black and White Ball, television
projects, short pieces and increasing personal demons, Capote missed his 1968 deadline. In July 1969 the contract was renegotiated, granting a "substantially larger advance" in exchange for a trilogy to be delivered in January 1973. The delivery date was further delayed to January 1974 and September 1977. A final agreement in early 1980 would have yielded Capote $1,000,000 to have been paid only if he submitted the manuscript by March 1, 1981. This final deadline was not kept.
In May 1971, on The Dick Cavett
Show, Capote referred to the book as his "posthumous novel", explaining, "either I'm going to kill it, or it's going to kill me".
The book is a somewhat sordid tale of the mixing of high and low social classes, drawn from his experiences as best friend and confidant to the most prominent female socialites of the era and their husbands. The first chapter of Answered Prayers, Unspoiled Monsters, which was published in Esquire
, is largely based on Capote's friend, the real-life male prostitute Denham Fouts
. Capote first envisioned it as an American analog to Marcel Proust
's Remembrance of Things Past that would come to be regarded as his masterwork in the late 1950s.
By 1975, Capote's increasingly outrageous public behavior, fueled by alcohol
, drugs and sexual indiscretion led many to believe that he had no intention of ever publishing Answered Prayers and had given up writing to follow in the footsteps of his fabulous friends as a professional socialite. To prove that he was still a viable and productive writer, Capote sold four chapters of the novel-in-progress to Esquire
in 1975 and 1976. This resulted in an uproar among Capote's friends and acquaintances, who recognized thinly veiled characters based on themselves. Both "Mojave" and "La Cote Basque" were exposes of the dysfunctional personal lives led by the author's main benefactors, CBS head Bill Paley
and his wife Babe, then terminally ill with cancer
. The Paleys would never socialize with Capote again and led an exodus of ostracizing friends.
From a literary viewpoint the chapters received a mixed reaction. Some, like Capote biographer Gerald Clarke, consider Answered Prayers to be the culmination of the factual novel form first employed by the author with In Cold Blood and a testimonial to his talent's ability to transcend substance abuse
. Others, namely Norman Mailer
, praised Capote's technique but questioned the seemingly frivolous plotline of escapades among an already outmoded jet set
.
, Capote detailed the writing process of the novel:
If this "official" chronology is to believed, Capote stopped work on Answered Prayers in September 1977 after suffering what he considered to be a "nervous breakdown". After a period of consideration and reorganization, he claimed to have conducted substantial revisions on the chapters published in Esquire with the exception of "Mojave," a story outside the diegetic framework of the novel that was intended to be the second chapter. It would later see publication in 1980 as a standalone work in Music for Chameleons.
However, further evidence makes Capote's statements seem less credible. Fox corroborates Capote to a large extent and claimed to have seen all four of the Esquire chapters in 1975, but Gerald Clarke's biography indicates that only the recently-written "Mojave" and "La Cote Basque" were in any sort of publishable condition by that date. (Nonetheless, both "Unspoiled Monsters" and "Kate McCloud" were published by the end of 1976). Capote's legendary and almost stenographic journals, considered by a minority of friends to have been the true bread and butter of his literary output, have never surfaced after his death, let alone in a revised form. By all accounts, he spent those years in a drug and alcohol induced haze.
In the years prior to his death, Capote frequently read from these chapters to friends at dinners, but such was his gift of storytelling that few could discern whether he was actually reading from a manuscript or improvising. He attempted to sell one of the chapters to Esquire sometime in the early 1980s but balked and feigned illness when an editor asked to see the story. Capote claimed that lover John O'Shea had absconded with "A Severe Insult to the Brain" in 1977 and sued for repossession, but he eventually reconciled with O'Shea and dropped the lawsuit. At least one Capote associate claims to have acted as a courier for the full manuscript. According to Joseph Fox, four of Capote's friends claim to have read drafts of "Father Flanagan's All-Night Nigger Queen Kosher Cafe" and "A Severe Insult to the Brain". Capote regularly cited dialogue and plot points from these chapters in multiple conversations with Fox that never wavered or changed over the years. In his editor's note, Fox "hesitantly" theorized that the two chapters did exist at one juncture but were destroyed by Capote in the 1980s.
Shortly before his death in 1984, Capote informed Joanne Carson that he had finally finished Answered Prayers and was preparing to die in peace. Carson allegedly had read the three chapters prior to this date and described them as being "very long." On the morning preceding his death, Capote handed a key to Carson for a safe deposit box or locker that contained the completed novel, stating that "the novel will be found when it wants to be found." When Carson pressed Capote for a precise location, he offered a myriad of locations in various cities. An exhaustive search for the manuscript after Capote's death yielded nothing.
A third and less tantalizing belief, held by a minority of Capote intimates, including Andy Warhol
(who frequently partied with and employed the author throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s) and longtime lover Jack Dunphy
(who had extricated himself from much of Capote's affairs by this era but by all accounts knew him better than anybody else with the possible exception of the Paleys), was that the publication of "La Cote Basque" had traumatized Capote to the extent where he ceased all work on Answered Prayers after finishing "Kate McCloud" and was incapable of finishing it. In his diary, Warhol made frequent mention of drunken ramblings related to the novel by Capote but was never able to secure any serious plot details. When he did discuss the contents of one of the chapters to a privileged Brigid Berlin
, Warhol was irritated that she did not tape the discussion.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by American author Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
, published posthumously in 1986 in England and in 1987 in the United States.
History
The title is in reference to a quote by Saint Teresa of ÁvilaTeresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
: "Answered prayers cause more tears than those that remain unanswered". According to Joseph M. Fox's editor's note to the 1987 edition, Capote signed the initial contract for the novel on January 5, 1966 with Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
. This agreement provided a $25,000 advance with a stipulated delivery date of January 1, 1968. Distracted by the success of his "nonfiction novel," In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood is a 1966 book by Truman Capote.In Cold Blood may also refer to:* In Cold Blood , a 1967 film and 1996 miniseries, both based on the book* In Cold Blood...
, the Black and White Ball, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
projects, short pieces and increasing personal demons, Capote missed his 1968 deadline. In July 1969 the contract was renegotiated, granting a "substantially larger advance" in exchange for a trilogy to be delivered in January 1973. The delivery date was further delayed to January 1974 and September 1977. A final agreement in early 1980 would have yielded Capote $1,000,000 to have been paid only if he submitted the manuscript by March 1, 1981. This final deadline was not kept.
In May 1971, on The Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett
Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
Show, Capote referred to the book as his "posthumous novel", explaining, "either I'm going to kill it, or it's going to kill me".
The book is a somewhat sordid tale of the mixing of high and low social classes, drawn from his experiences as best friend and confidant to the most prominent female socialites of the era and their husbands. The first chapter of Answered Prayers, Unspoiled Monsters, which was published in Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, is largely based on Capote's friend, the real-life male prostitute Denham Fouts
Denham Fouts
Denham Fouts was an American male prostitute, socialite and literary muse. He served as the inspiration for characters by Truman Capote, Gore Vidal, Christopher Isherwood and Gavin Lambert.-Biography:...
. Capote first envisioned it as an American analog to Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
's Remembrance of Things Past that would come to be regarded as his masterwork in the late 1950s.
By 1975, Capote's increasingly outrageous public behavior, fueled by alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, drugs and sexual indiscretion led many to believe that he had no intention of ever publishing Answered Prayers and had given up writing to follow in the footsteps of his fabulous friends as a professional socialite. To prove that he was still a viable and productive writer, Capote sold four chapters of the novel-in-progress to Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
in 1975 and 1976. This resulted in an uproar among Capote's friends and acquaintances, who recognized thinly veiled characters based on themselves. Both "Mojave" and "La Cote Basque" were exposes of the dysfunctional personal lives led by the author's main benefactors, CBS head Bill Paley
William S. Paley
William S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
and his wife Babe, then terminally ill with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. The Paleys would never socialize with Capote again and led an exodus of ostracizing friends.
From a literary viewpoint the chapters received a mixed reaction. Some, like Capote biographer Gerald Clarke, consider Answered Prayers to be the culmination of the factual novel form first employed by the author with In Cold Blood and a testimonial to his talent's ability to transcend substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
. Others, namely Norman Mailer
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
, praised Capote's technique but questioned the seemingly frivolous plotline of escapades among an already outmoded jet set
Jet set
"Jet set" is a journalistic term that was used to describe an international social group of wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social activities that are unreachable to ordinary people...
.
Composition
In the introduction to his 1980 collection, Music for ChameleonsMusic for Chameleons
Music for Chameleons is an anthology by the American author Truman Capote, which includes both fiction and non-fiction. Capote's first offering of new material in 14 years, Music for Chameleons spent an unheard of 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.-Plot:The book is divided into three...
, Capote detailed the writing process of the novel:
If this "official" chronology is to believed, Capote stopped work on Answered Prayers in September 1977 after suffering what he considered to be a "nervous breakdown". After a period of consideration and reorganization, he claimed to have conducted substantial revisions on the chapters published in Esquire with the exception of "Mojave," a story outside the diegetic framework of the novel that was intended to be the second chapter. It would later see publication in 1980 as a standalone work in Music for Chameleons.
However, further evidence makes Capote's statements seem less credible. Fox corroborates Capote to a large extent and claimed to have seen all four of the Esquire chapters in 1975, but Gerald Clarke's biography indicates that only the recently-written "Mojave" and "La Cote Basque" were in any sort of publishable condition by that date. (Nonetheless, both "Unspoiled Monsters" and "Kate McCloud" were published by the end of 1976). Capote's legendary and almost stenographic journals, considered by a minority of friends to have been the true bread and butter of his literary output, have never surfaced after his death, let alone in a revised form. By all accounts, he spent those years in a drug and alcohol induced haze.
Theories regarding missing chapters
The three chapters published in Esquire, totaling fewer than 200 hardcover pages, were published in 1987 under the title Answered Prayers: The Unfinished Novel. Revised versions of these chapters that were purported to have existed, along with "A Severe Insult to the Brain", "Yachts and Things", "And Audrey Wilder Sang" and "Father Flannagan's...", have not been located (if they indeed do exist) as of 2008.In the years prior to his death, Capote frequently read from these chapters to friends at dinners, but such was his gift of storytelling that few could discern whether he was actually reading from a manuscript or improvising. He attempted to sell one of the chapters to Esquire sometime in the early 1980s but balked and feigned illness when an editor asked to see the story. Capote claimed that lover John O'Shea had absconded with "A Severe Insult to the Brain" in 1977 and sued for repossession, but he eventually reconciled with O'Shea and dropped the lawsuit. At least one Capote associate claims to have acted as a courier for the full manuscript. According to Joseph Fox, four of Capote's friends claim to have read drafts of "Father Flanagan's All-Night Nigger Queen Kosher Cafe" and "A Severe Insult to the Brain". Capote regularly cited dialogue and plot points from these chapters in multiple conversations with Fox that never wavered or changed over the years. In his editor's note, Fox "hesitantly" theorized that the two chapters did exist at one juncture but were destroyed by Capote in the 1980s.
Shortly before his death in 1984, Capote informed Joanne Carson that he had finally finished Answered Prayers and was preparing to die in peace. Carson allegedly had read the three chapters prior to this date and described them as being "very long." On the morning preceding his death, Capote handed a key to Carson for a safe deposit box or locker that contained the completed novel, stating that "the novel will be found when it wants to be found." When Carson pressed Capote for a precise location, he offered a myriad of locations in various cities. An exhaustive search for the manuscript after Capote's death yielded nothing.
A third and less tantalizing belief, held by a minority of Capote intimates, including Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
(who frequently partied with and employed the author throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s) and longtime lover Jack Dunphy
Jack Dunphy
Jack Dunphy was an American novelist and playwright, perhaps best known today for his long-term relationship with American author Truman Capote.-Early life and dance career:...
(who had extricated himself from much of Capote's affairs by this era but by all accounts knew him better than anybody else with the possible exception of the Paleys), was that the publication of "La Cote Basque" had traumatized Capote to the extent where he ceased all work on Answered Prayers after finishing "Kate McCloud" and was incapable of finishing it. In his diary, Warhol made frequent mention of drunken ramblings related to the novel by Capote but was never able to secure any serious plot details. When he did discuss the contents of one of the chapters to a privileged Brigid Berlin
Brigid Berlin
Brigid Berlin is an American artist and former Warhol superstar.-Early years:Berlin was the eldest of three daughters born to socialite parents, Muriel Johnson "Honey" Berlin and Richard E. Berlin, into a world of Manhattan privilege. Her father was chairman of the Hearst media empire for 32 years...
, Warhol was irritated that she did not tape the discussion.