The Dark Heart of Patricia Highsmith

In late October 1951, the 31-year-old author Patricia Highsmith travelled to Positano on the Amalfi Coast, attempting to escape from the complications of her life and career in the US. Her second novel, lesbian romance The Price of Salt – later filmed as Carol, starring Cate Blanchett – was a disappointment, and she described her $6,500 advance as “an impressive fee for unimpressive writing”.