Famous Unfinished American Novels
From Raymond Chandler, Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Others
Famous unfinished novels from literary greats including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Truman Capote, and Raymond Chandler
Many of the greatest American writers have left behind unfinished novels. Some have never seen the light of day. Others have been finished by other writers such as James Jones’ “Whistle” and Raymond Chandler’s “Poodle Springs Mystery.” And still others have been published unfinished yet brilliant, the most famous being F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Last Tycoon” and Truman Capote’s “Answered Prayers.” All of these works have one thing in common: a mystery for readers. What might have been?
“Answered Prayers” by Truman Capote
In 1959, author Norman Mailer said of Capote, “I would suspect he hesitates between the attraction of society which enjoys and so repays him for his unique gifts, and the novel he would write of the gossip column’s real life, a major work but it would banish him forever from his favorite world. Since I have nothing to lose, I hope Truman fries a few of the fancier fish.” And Truman Capote did.
The title of his unfinished novel comes from a quote by Saint Theresa of Avila: “answered prayers cause more tears than those that remain unanswered.”
When Esquire Magazine published the first three chapters of “Answered Prayers” in 1975 and 1976, they unleashed a storm of fury in high society, particularly among the wives of powerful men who frequently lunched with Capote and dished dirt. “Answered Prayers” was a thinly disguised tell-all. And, as stated in the quotes of Saint Theresa and Norman Mailer, “Answered Prayers” cost Truman Capote the world that he loved so much. He was shunned by society and dove into desperation, drugs, and booze, which eventually killed him in 1984.
Right before his death, he told his friend Joanne Carson that he had stashed the completed novel in a safety deposit box, but it was never found.
While the subject of “Answered Prayers” could’ve wound up as idle society gossip and fodder for Paris Hilton fans in lesser hands, Capote infused the published three chapters with the same degree of genius that took his novel “In Cold Blood” levels above mere crime fiction to masterpiece status.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Last Tycoon”
F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing “The Last Tycoon” in the thirties, had long stopped shining and he had fallen deep into the bottle and became a Hollywood hack screenwriter. It was also five months before his death. “The Last Tycoon” (originally titled “The Love of the Last Tycoon – A Western”) was a movie business tell-all, the main character Monroe Stahr modeled after legendary real life studio head Irving Thalberg.
Before he died, it was believed that Fitzgerald had asked his friend “Day of the Locust” author Nathaniel West to complete “The Last Tycoon.” Sadly, West and his wife were killed in an automobile accident the day after F. Scott Fitzgerald died.
James Jones’ “Whistle”
Like Fitzgerald, James Jones was racing against time when he started writing “Whistle”, the third novel of his World War II trilogy (“From Here to Eternity” and “Thin Red Line” were the first two novels). When he died in 1977, the last three chapters were uncompleted. His friend, author Willie Morris, “completed” the novel based on Jones’ copious notes and taped conversations.
Raymond Chandler’s “Poodle Springs Mystery”
“Poodle Springs” is a novel left unfinished at Raymond Chandler’s death in 1959. It offers a married Philip Marlowe. At his death, he had completed the first four chapters and left an outline.
In 1988, Ed Victor, the agent representing the Chandler estate, asked popular hardboiled mystery writer Robert B. Parker to complete “Poodle Springs.”
While “Poodle Springs” and James Jones’ “Whistle” are both considered “finished novels”, literary purists still think of them as unfinished.
SOURCES:
"Fitzgerald Unfinished", [Time Magazine, January 27, 1941]
“Phillip Marlowe is back, and in trouble”, Ed McBain, [New York Times, October, 1989] “Goodbye to the ladies who lunch”, Tina Brown, [New York Times, September 13, 1987]
