“NONFICTION NOVEL”—THE TERM may sound like an oxymoron, but that’s what Truman Capote called In Cold Blood (1966), his book about a pair of killers and a grisly quadruple murder in Kansas. Applying the techniques of good fiction writing to a story that he claimed was “immaculately factual,” Capote (1924–1984) changed the face of journalism. In addition, the fame-loving author became one of the first literary celebrities of the television era. With his high-pitched, Southern-accented speech and his delight in scandal, Capote was like no writer that American viewers had seen before. See if you can ice this quiz about the author of In Cold Blood.
1. Which writer, having just completed a novel of her own, traveled with Capote to Kansas to help research In Cold Blood?
2. Over the course of In Cold Blood, does Capote ever use a first-person narrative voice?
3. How many hours of interviews did Capote tape-record for his In Cold Blood research?
4. Which Capote novella became a 1961 Hollywood classic?
5. Which catty story, published in a 1975 issue of Esquire magazine, sabotaged Capote’s relationships with the “ladies who lunch” set?
ANSWERS
1. Harper Lee. According to Capote, Lee was useful not only for her note taking but also because “she became friendly with all the churchgoers.”
2. No—not even once. Capote felt that a writer should not intrude in his story.
3. None. Opposed to using tape recorders, Capote took thousands of pages of notes.
4. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958). Holly Golightly was famously portrayed by Audrey Hepburn.
5. “La Côte Basque.” The story—actually a chapter from an unfinished novel called Answered Prayers—shared the scandals of Capote’s high-society friends, in some cases naming names.