Top ten essays

Harry Mount is a journalist, author and editor of the Notting Hill Editions Journal, which commissions a new essay every week.

One of his top ten essays, as told to the Guardian:

Truman Capote, "The Duke in his Domain" (1957)

Capote is best remembered for his novels, but his non-fiction was exceptional: acidly witty, to the point of nastiness; hyper-observational, to the point of even deeper nastiness. But what is more enjoyable – or, often, truer – than nastiness?

This is the essay-as-interview - in this case with Marlon Brando, at the height of his fame. There's a good deal of nastiness, and racism – "You come see Marron?" says Capote's Japanese guide. But it also gives a rare insight into the perils of celebrity: of too big an entourage, of isolation, of too many appetites being too readily satisfied.

For dinner, Brando, on a diet, orders soup, beefsteak with French-fried potatoes, three supplementary vegetables, a side dish of spaghetti, rolls and butter, a bottle of sake, salad, and cheese and crackers.

Read about the other essays on the list.

Read "The Duke in his Domain" at The New Yorker's website.

--Marshal Zeringue