BY: LEIGH STUART

The intertwined lives of an author and a general in New Orleans.

ruman Capote can have his Breakfast at Tiffany’s; here in New Orleans, true beau monde prefer to sleep in and enjoy Dinner at Antoine’s.

The most famous work of Ms. Frances Parkinson Keyes, Dinner at Antoine’s is a
snapshot of debonair gentlemen and glamorous, vivacious women living high-style lives.

Keyes spent her life in myriad cities across the eastern U.S., including Charlottesville, Va., Washington, D.C., and the city most closely associated with her, our dear New Orleans.

Keyes staked her New Orleans legacy in the 1940s, when she took residence in the home now called the Beauregard-Keyes House (1113 Chartres St., 523-7257). Built in 1826 by Joseph Le Carpentier, the house was once owned by Confederate General Pierre G.T. Beauregard. It was here that Keyes wrote a staggering 29 of her books, including Dinner at Antoine’s.

It was perhaps Keyes’ extensive travel that allowed her to express so clearly the oddities of culture differences across the North/South divide.

Keyes’ only suspense novel, Dinner at Antoine’s describes a distinct time and place, an untouchable echelon and a backdrop where the rules of conduct don’t translate outside the city walls (a sentiment understood by New Orleans natives and transplants alike).

Dinner at Antoine’s remains as vibrant today as it was in 1948, due in no small part to Keyes’ ability to put New Orleans’ indescribable ambiance into words. That, and a few pearls of wisdom; for example, red wine on your wedding day can’t lead to anything but trouble.