Wednesday, January 05, 2022

Short Story Wednesday: "Miriam" Truman Capote


Miriam is the story of a sixty something widow (Mrs. Miller) who is leading a lonely life. She puts on her galoshes one night and makes her way to a movie theater where a girl insinuates herself into her life. First by asking her to buy her a ticket and eventually turning up at her apartment demanding food, jewelry etc. At first Mrs. Miller is annoyed but eventually her annoyance turns to fright. Just as she thinks she is rid of the child, there she is again. 

This story won Capote an O'Henry award for the best first story in 1946. Here is what Capote said when someone wrote asking him the meaning of his story. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/13/nyregion/truman-capote-rare-letter-recently-discovered-explains-miriam-story.html

Although the writing is excellent and the atmosphere perfect, this didn't quite work for me. I guess I expect a ghost story to frighten me and although Miriam frightened Mrs. Miller, she didn't scare me.  Maybe watching too many Twilight Zones episodes similar to this are to blame. 

George Kelley

Jerry House

Kevin Tipple 

TracyK 

Todd Mason

17 comments:

Jerry House said...

I don't think Capote meant for the story to be frightening. I believe disquietude was the mood he was going for.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I read the Capote stories years ago and don't remember this, and the NYT link isn't working for me now.

In the longest essay in the Ann Patchett essay collection, she had positive things to say about Tom Hanks's short story collection, Uncommon Type, so I downloaded a copy from the library and have managed a story a day on the road. I wouldn't say I've been knocked out but they are worth a look and they're growing on me. "Welcome to Mars" is quite different from what the title suggests. It's a 19 year old boy's birthday and his father gets him up early to go surfing at Mars Beach. It's a nice father-son story until it takes a disquieting turn.

I finished the year with 920 stories and 68 collections read. New authors to me include Antonya Nelson, Jean Thompson, Jim Shepard, Nathan Englander, Dino Buzzati, Tessa Hadley, Junot Diaz, and Marly Swick. Looks like I read a lot more straight fiction stories than mysteries.

Margot Kinberg said...

Must be Truman Capote week, Patti. I was just visiting another blog where the blogger discussed some of his short stories. Sorry to hear this one didn't do it for you.

pattinase (abbott) said...

But if you factor in his age when he wrote it (19) it is pretty amazing to capture an elderly woman (is 60 elderly?) so well.

George said...

Other than IN COLD BLOOD, I've never been much of a Truman Capote fan.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Yes, he was a celebrity more than a writer. Breakfast at Tiffany's was good although darker than the film.

Todd Mason said...

At 57, I'll suggest 60 isn't elderly then nor now. Too much still expected of us! Not that elderly folks escape burden beyond those of bodies that complain.

From my memory of the story, it's a kid's imagining of what a horror it might be to have a dependent grown child in one's life, but I'm behind the paywall for the NYT link to have Capote's refresher/apology (old sense) for the story.



pattinase (abbott) said...

At nineteen though, sixty would seem old. Especially at the time he was nineteen.

Todd Mason said...

Though at 19 or even the mid-20s, as at least one of my more callow (female) colleagues demonstrated, you don't have to be sixty to be superannuated (she asked why I'd put a shot of Sela Ward up among the various papers and images, most, to be sure, more directly work-related, in my cubicle, the photo of Ward taken when she was about 40...I said, I think she's pretty, to which she replied, "I guess, if you like old people").

I now have one up! https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2022/01/short-story-wednesday-alfred-hitchcock.html

Todd Mason said...

(I was was about 34yo at that time, and clearly, at least, getting a bit careworn myself).

Todd Mason said...

Ultimately, Cute Notions only take one so far. Digging deeper is called for.

Todd Mason said...

Paul Fraser does something SSW-esque this afternoon (evening in the UK), reviewing the new fiction magazine PARSEC and what he sees as their one very good story this issue:
https://sfmagazines.com/?p=13931

TracyK said...

I found a copy of this story online and read it. It was a good read although not the type of story I would seek out, and it seems open to various interpretations. That article and the letter from Truman Capote was interesting also.

My copy of BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S also has three stories in it, I should pull out that book and read them.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Yes, he's a good writer already in terms of atmosphere and a character but I was expecting something scarier since it was in a book where most of the stories were more frightening. This one was mostly sad.

TracyK said...

I agree, mostly sad.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Sorry, Todd. I can't get that link to work.

Todd Mason said...
This comment has been removed by the author.