FRIENDS AND FOES
Who was Truman Capote and his socialite swans?
Capote began writing a tell-all book before his death that shook the lives of America's most prominent socialites
AMERICAN author Truman Capote was known for his novels Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood.
At the height of his career, Capote was frequently seen with socialites whom he called his "swans" — let's take a closer look at the life and death of the famed author.
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Who was Truman Capote?
Truman Persons, who went by the surname Capote, was an American author born on September 30, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Capote began writing when he was a child. As an adult, Capote recalled: "I began writing really sort of seriously when I was about eleven.
"I say seriously in the sense that like other kids go home and practice the violin or the piano or whatever, I used to go home from school every day and I would write for about three hours. I was obsessed by it."
Over the years, Capote became famously recognized for his works, In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
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Breakfast at Tiffany's became an iconic movie starring the legendary actress, Audrey Hepburn.
Many would say the film had become more popular than the novel.
Apart from his famed novels, Capote was well-known amongst the elite and often found himself associated with an array of public figures.
The Louisiana-born artist often consumed alcohol and drugs in his latter years. This lifestyle led to his death on August 25, 1984.
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According to his death certificate, Capote died from "liver disease complicated by phlebitis and multiple drug intoxication."
Who were Truman Capote’s swans?
As Capote became more popular, the famed author began hanging around socialites whom he called "The Swans."
In 1958, Capote began working on a novel called Answered Prayers which reportedly followed the lives and secrets of his close circle.
The book was postponed to release, however, Esquire posted the first four chapters in 1975 and 1976.
When the Swans read the chapters, they realized Capote's novel was an exposé of their life under pseudonyms and sometimes their real names. However, Capote died before the novel could be complete.
Let's take a look at the women Capote surrounded himself with and was allegedly writing about:
Lee Radziwill
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Lee Radziwill was the sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis and sister-in-law to former president John F. Kennedy.
Radziwill was an aspiring actress turned public relations executive. Radziwill passed away in February 2019 at 85 years old.
Babe Paley
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Babe Paley was popularly recognized as a magazine editor for Vogue.
Before she died in 1978, Paley was married to her longtime husband, William S. Paley, the founder of CBS.
Slim Keith
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Nancy Keith, widely known as Slim and Lady Keith of Castleacre, was a fashion icon who built a name for herself in New York City.
Keith married three times over her career with her last marriage being to Kenneth Keith, Baron Keith of Castleacre.
Ann Woodward
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Ann Woodward was a model and radio actress who was voted The Most Beautiful Girl in Radio in 1940.
Woodward was married to William Woodward Jr., the son of a wealthy banker by the same name. Woodward accidentally fatally shot her husband after mistaking him for a burglar.
In Answered Prayers, Capote created Ann Hopkins who closely symbolized Woodward. Capote implied that the character murdered her husband which led to the downfall of their friendship and the death of Woodward in 1975.
CZ Guest
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CZ Guest was a model and actress who was married to Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, a polo champion and part of the famed Guest family in England.
Additionally, Guest was the muse of famous artists Salvador Dalí, Diego Rivera, and Andy Warhol.
Marella Agnelli
Marella Agnelli was a famous art collector from Florence, Italy, who was married to the former senator of the Italian Republic, Gianni Agnelli.
She also founded the National Commission of United World Colleges in 1970 and was on the international council of the Museum of Modern Art.
Gloria Guinness
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Gloria Guinness was a fashion icon from Guadalajara, Mexico, married to a former member of Parliament, Thomas Guinness.
She worked as a contributing editor to Harpar's Bazaar for nearly a decade before retiring from the magazine in 1971.
Pamela Harriman
Pamela Harriman was well known for her marriage to Winston Churchill's son, Randolph Churchill.
Harriman went on to become the United States Ambassador to France from June 1993 until her death in February 1997.
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How to watch Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
FX is set to release the eight-part series, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, on January 31, 2024, at 10 pm ET.
The show is part of the Feud series which originally debuted in 2017 by Ryan Murphy. The first season told the story of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis.
According to the synopsis, Capote vs. The Swans will show how "Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives, exposing their most intimate secrets."
The show is based on Laurence Leamer's book, Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal and a Swan Song for an Era.
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It will include Tom Hollander as Capote and Naomi Watts, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore, Diane Lane, and Chloë Sevigny playing the Swans.
In addition to watching the show on FX, fans can stream it on Hulu.