Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black-and-white Ball [Hardcover]

In Party of the Century , Deborah Davis tells of the now legendary Black and White Ball. Truman Capote threw the bash at Manhattan′s Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966. Its guest of honor was Katharine Graham, president of the Washington Post Co., but no one had any illusions: The purpose of this gala was to celebrate the host, a serious writer but also a celebrity. There had never been much doubt about the celebrity part –– from the moment that he styled himself as a male nymphet for his first novel′s jacket photo, Capote had shown a rare talent for self–promotion. What had been in doubt was the literary prowess. As he entered his forties, the once–promising young writer had produced only a few slim volumes of exquisitely written fiction and journalism. But recently In Cold Blood –– a masterpiece in the literature of fact –– had routed the skeptics, and it was time to celebrate. Capote′s plan, notes Davis, was to mix and match people: titled aristocrats with intellectuals with ordinary Joes from the rural Kansas county where the In Cold Blood murders had occurred. But in this respect, the party seems to have failed. "I′ve never seen such ghettoizing in all my life," complained Capote′s lover, Jack Dunphy. "No group mixed with another group." As for the excluded, the book reproduces the cover of a subsequent Esquire issue. Under the rubric "We wouldn′t have come even if you had invited us, Truman Capote" is pictured a surly–looking group comprising Jimmy Brown, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis, Pat Brown, Ed Sullivan, Pierre Salinger, Lynn Redgrave and Casey Stengel. ( The Washington Post , June 4, 2006) "...opens up his [Truman Capote] vulnerable heart as well as, and more accurately than the film..." ( Yorkshire Post , June 2006) "...gripping...very enjoyable in a voyeuristic way...." ( O bserver, April 2006) "...Davis′s excitement about the ball and its organisation is contagious...there is room too, for this stylish, sparkling little volume...." ( Sunday Times , April 2006) "...full of lavish photographs and anecdotes detailing the glitz and glamour of Truman′s infamous black and white masked ball..." ( Stella Magazine, April 2006)   "...an interesting read and a must for all Capote fans..." ( The Western Daily Press , April 2006) "brings splendidly colorful behind–the–scenes action and players up front." (The New York Times , March 19, 2006) "...Davis details every glittering facet of the painstakingly planned bal masque ... an evocative testament to bygone elegance, etiquette and entertaining..." ( Guardian , March 2006) "...captures the spirit and significance of the occasion with new material and fresh perspective, making this a party worth crashing..." ( Town and Country , March 2005)  Truman Capote′s legendary masked ball, at New York City′s Plaza Hotel on November 28, 1966, was a hyped–up media event meticulously masterminded by the self–promoting, social–climbing author of In Cold Blood . Davis ( Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X ) dishes up the menu, the decor, the outfits and the guest list of 540, clueing the reader in to how Capote dangled the prized invitations for months, snubbing early supporters like Carson McCullers as he determined who was "in" and who was "out." In choosing his guest of honor, Capote eschewed glamorous "swans" like Babe Paley and Marella Agnelli in favor of "dowdy" Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham. Actress Candice Bergen was bored at the ball; Capote′s elevator man danced the night away with a woman who didn′t know his pedigree; and Norman Mailer sounded off about Vietnam. This frothy effort retreads ground already covered by Gerald Clarke, George Plimpton and Sally Bedell Smith, among others. Black–and–white photos have frozen the beautiful people of the ′60s in all their preening glory, and readers also get to see the invitation and the fashion sketches of the elaborate masks and headdresses created by Halston and Adolfo. (Mar.) ( Publishers Weekly , December 12, 2005)

"...opens up his [Truman Capote] vulnerable heart as well as, and more accurately than the film..." ( Yorkshire Post , June 2006) "...gripping...very enjoyable in a voyeuristic way...." ( O bserver, April 2006) "...Davis′s excitement about the ball and its organisation is contagious...there is room too, for this stylish, sparkling little volume...." ( Sunday Times , April 2006) "...full of lavish photographs and anecdotes detailing the glitz and glamour of Truman′s infamous black and white masked ball..." ( Stella Magazine, April 2006) "...an interesting read and a must for all Capote fans..." ( The Western Daily Press , April 2006) "brings splendidly colorful behind–the–scenes action and players up front." (The New York Times , March 19, 2006) "...Davis details every glittering facet of the painstakingly planned bal masque ... an evocative testament to bygone elegance, etiquette and entertaining..." ( Guardian , March 2006) "...captures the spirit and significance of the occasion with new material and fresh perspective, making this a party worth crashing..." ( Town and Country , March 2005) "...dishes up the menu, the decor, the outfits and the guest list" ( Publishers Weekly , December 12, 2005)

Flush with the massive bestsellerdom of In Cold Blood, which earned him millions, Capote decided to throw an extraordinary masked ball—partly in honor of his friend the Washington Post president Katharine Graham and partly to celebrate his own success at the end of the grueling process of writing the book—at New York′s legendary Plaza Hotel. The invitees were to wear just two colors: black and white. For several months, the most sought–after piece of paper in New York and jet–setting society was the tasteful white card bearing the words "Mr. Truman Capote requests the pleasure of your company at a Black and White Dance." Everyone who was anyone wanted the invitation. Capote boasted that he invited five hundred friends but made fifteen thousand enemies—those who weren′t invited. The glittering roster of guests included newlyweds Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, the young actress Candice Bergen, literary lions Norman Mailer and William F. Buckley, and various international crowned heads, Kennedys, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Whitneys. Truman made sure to invite his carefully cultivated society friends, the flock of wealthy, elegant, ultra–fashionable society matrons whom Capote called his "swans" and who included Babe Paley, C. Z. Guest, Slim Keith, Gloria Guinness, and Marella Agnelli. Wanting to keep the party mix interesting and unpredictable, Capote also invited people from the town where the murders from In Cold Blood occurred, publishing types, and even the doorman from the U.N. Plaza, his apartment building. In this vivid and delightful narrative, Deborah Davis chronicles all the social whirl of the preparation and the anticipation leading up to the party, including delicious facts such as where the guests bought their gowns and diamonds, how they chose their masks designed by the likes of Adolfo and Halston, and where they dined before the party. Then, in fascinating detail, Davis captures the drama and excitement of the ball itself. Unlike many such ballyhooed events, this evening truly lived up to its fanfare: Alice Roosevelt Longworth told the New York Times that the party was "the most exquisite of spectator sports." Lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings of the guests and their gorgeous and extravagant costumes, masks, and jewels and including the guest list, the recipe for the Plaza chicken hash served at the ball, and other memorabilia, this portrait of revelry at the height of the swirling, swinging, turbulent sixties will be the book of the season for anyone interested in American popular culture and the lifestyles and legacies of the rich, famous, and talented.