Shortly after the success of his influential "nonfiction novel" In Cold Blood in 1966, Truman Capote began publicizing his next project, a novel about modern society that he promised would make all his previous works look like mere child's play. That novel, Answered Prayers, was originally contracted for publication in 1971, but Capote continually missed his deadline: he was apparently too busy basking in his celebrity status and partying with his high-society friends. It seemed he might never write the great novel he had so long promised to deliver. Finally, in the fall of 1975, parts of his unfinished manuscript appeared as an excerpt in New York magazine. Instantly, Capote's jet-set world was set on its collective ear. Titled "La Cote Basque," the story was a vicious caricature of Capote's closest society chums, including Babe Paley and Slim Hayward. As the chapter progressed...