The Mademoiselle magazine file copy, with corrections, later collected in Breakfast at Tiffany's
The House of Flowers. Corrected Typescript.
August 3, 1950.
Price: $40,000.00
About the item
Published: Mademoiselle, April 1951. Collected in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958). 17 pp., carbon typescript with manuscript and typed corrections, dated August 3, 1950, and marked Inventory. 1 vols. 4to. The Mademoiselle magazine file copy, with corrections, later collected in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Very good (some toning).
Item #324383
The Mademoiselle magazine file copy of the typescript, with editorial corrections, of Truman Capote’s acclaimed story, “House of Flowers”, the story of Haitian prostitute Ottilie, beautiful and strong-willed yet doomed by circumstances.
With a short typed note from Capote’s agent Marian Ives to Rita — the highly influential long-time editor Margarita G. Smith (whose sister was Carson McCullers) — dated 7/24/50, reading in part “Although I don’t think this is for MLLE, nor did T think so, yet it is honestly the best story he’s done recently and I wanted you to take a look at it anyway …”, and with a pencil reader’s report, “whether this particular story isn’t a bit too strong for those in less sophisticated areas (and in Catholic schools‚ … believe it or not, there are still a lot of college girls who are utterly naive”, and three Mademoiselle reader’s report forms recording considerable editorial back and forth, responses from Catholic readers, and Smith’s decision, “I think we should buy it. M.G.S.”, with a note of a payment of $750.
“House of Flowers” was published in the issue for April 1951, and was winner of the third prize in that year’s O. Henry Awards. The story was adapted into a musical in collaboration with composer and lyricist Harold Arlen, and ran for 165 performances on Broadway in 1954. “House of Flowers” was later collected in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
