In Cold Blood — Truman Capote

The chilling true crime non fiction novel that made Truman Capote s name In Cold Blood is a seminal work of modern prose a remarkable synthesis of journalistic skill and powerfully evocative narrative published in Penguin Modern Classics Controversial and compelling In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer his wife and both their children Truman Capote s comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved At the centre of his study are the amoral young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock who vividly drawn by Capote are shown to be reprehensible yet entirely and frighteningly human Truman Capote 1924 84 was born in New Orleans He left school when he was fifteen and subsequently worked for The New Yorker which provided his first and last regular job He wrote both fiction and non fiction short stories novels and novellas travel writing profiles reportage memoirs plays and films his other works include In Cold Blood 1965 Music for Chameleons 1980 and Answered Prayers 1986 all of which are published in Penguin Modern Classics If you enjoyed In Cold Blood you might like Jack Kerouac and William S Burroughs And the Hippos were Boiled in their Tanks also available in Penguin Modern Classics It is the American dream turning into the American nightmare By juxtaposing and dovetailing the lives and values of the Clutters and those of the killers Capote produces a stark image of the deep doubleness of American life a remarkable book Spectator