"Until one morning in mid-November of 1959, few Americans--in fact, few Kansans--had ever heard of Holcomb. Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there." If all Truman Capote did was invent a new genre--journalism written with the language and structure of literature--this "nonfiction novel" about the brutal slaying of the Clutter family by two would-be robbers would be remembered as a trail-blazing experiment that has influenced countless writers. But Capote achieved more than that. He wrote a true masterpiece of creative nonfiction. The images of this tale continue to resonate in our minds: 16-year-old Nancy Clutter teaching a friend how to bake a cherry pie, Dick Hickock's black '49 Chevrolet sedan, Perry Smith's Gibson guitar and his dreams of gold in a tropical paradise--the blood on the walls and the final "thud-snap" of the rope-broken necks.
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (1 of 21), Read 52 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Sunday, June 02, 2002 10:00 AM
Today marks the official start of the Truman Capote's IN
COLD BLOOD. I got a late start on this one and am only
about a third through, but I'm sure I will be finished soon. I
need to wrap it up so I can sleep better at night.
This book surprised me. It was difficult for me imagine the
Truman Capote I used to watch on TV interview shows
settling into rural Kansas and gaining the confidence of
both the local folk and the criminals to the extent that he
could write a book like this. I guess he always impressed
me as a snooty (and bitchy) social climber. And yet, he
seems to have gotten it right. He writes about the lifestyle
of these Kansans with great respect and insight.
As with any "fictionalized" history, one wonders how much
the author allowed his imagination to shape the narrative.
This is undeniably a terrific story, and maybe it should be
judged solely on that basis. However, Capote also imputes
thoughts and feelings to characters that he could have had
no way of knowing for sure. Does any of this matter?
The absolute goodness of the victims is one of the thing
that gives this story its power. As Tonya mentioned on the
movie thread, the daughter, in particular, seemed almost
too good to be true. Personally, I have never met a
teenager quite like Nancy - a girl who would stay out until
2:00 in the morning, and then cheerfully give a pie making
lesson and music lesson to younger kids the next day. With
a mother suffering from such severe depression that she
spent many of her days in bed, the dynamics in this family
must have been a bit more complicated than Capote
describes.
I need to finish the book before commenting further, but I
look forward to reading what the rest of you thought about
this very interesting book.
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (2 of 21), Read 40 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
R Bavetta rbavetta@prodigy.net
Date:
Sunday, June 02, 2002 12:01 PM
I read this when it first came out, and remember it as
riveting. I had every plan to read it again now. I know we
own it. But I cannot, cannot, cannot find it. Gave up and
went to get it from the library on Friday. I cannot, cannot,
cannot believe that the Redlands Public Library does not
have it in their collection. Unforgiveable.
So now I'm stuck. Either skip this one, or buy a book I
already own. Hmmmmmm.
Ruth
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (3 of 21), Read 40 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Sunday, June 02, 2002 08:37 PM
I read the rest of this book today. Wow! I could not put it
down. The crime occurs fairly early in the book, but Capote
does a marvelous job of keeping up the dramatic tension as
the reader waits for the criminals to be caught. And by the
end of the book, he has succeeded in making the reader (at
least this one) feel sympathy for the guy who actually
performed these brutal and senseless murders. Pretty
remarkable.
Comments welcome.
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (4 of 21), Read 38 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Anne Wilfong anne.wilfong@gte.net
Date:
Monday, June 03, 2002 05:40 PM
I'm half way through and racing along. You know the killers
will get caught (says so on the book jacket!) but how will it
happen? When will it happen? I'm on the edge of my seat. I
don't feel the terror I associated with my memory of my first
reading (at least 20 years ago!) but the suspense is
palpable.
Anne
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (5 of 21), Read 39 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Monday, June 03, 2002 08:27 PM
Anne,
I had some trouble sleeping the first night because I
stopped reading right after the murders -- which come
pretty early on. I didn't want to revist the murders in my
dreams. However, the remaining two thirds of the book are
not gruesome and, as you said, he is a master at
generating suspense even when we all know the outcome.
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (6 of 21), Read 30 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Dean Denis dddenis@telus.net
Date:
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 11:09 AM
Here's a review which I found interesting:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/classics/story/0,6000,106442,00.html
and some biographical information here:
http://www.swinginchicks.com/truman_capote.htm
Dean
All roads lead to roam.
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (7 of 21), Read 33 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Anne Wilfong anne.wilfong@gte.net
Date:
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 01:41 PM
Thanks for the info, Dean. The review was helpful. I, too,
thought Capote had a sympathetic leaning toward Perry
Smith, but I didn't let him draw me into that circle. I think I
was all too aware that while Smith was the "worrier" of the
pair, he still had a total disconnect between right and
wrong. (i.e. he had "total respect" for Mr. Clutter right up to
the moment that he slit his throat.) How chillingly sinister.
Anne
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (8 of 21), Read 31 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 03:49 PM
Dean,
Thanks for the interview and the book review. So Capote
took 6000 pages of notes for this book! I still can't help but
wonder how much he invented or changed for the sake of
his story.
I also found it interesting that he watched Hickock's
execution, but not Perry Smith's and that he said that he
would never have started the project if he had known what
an emotional toll it would take on him.
Anne, there isn't any doubt that he was much more
sympathetic to Smith than Hickock. Smith's miserable
childhood and the physical deformity of his injured legs
seemed to give him some kind of excuse for the way he
turned out. Dick Hickock had good parents, and I think
Capote found it difficult to find any kind of excuse for his
cold blooded behavior. In addition, Hickock was guilty of
pedophilia. Few people (other than cardinals or
archbishops) find it possible to excuse that kind of failing. In
point of fact, I think both men were so mentally disturbed
that they found it almost impossible to empathize with
anyone other than themselves. They both laughed and
joked about what had happened after the crime. Hickock
seems to have been a sociopath, whereas the psychologist
who studied Smith thought he might be schizophrenic.
Scary, isn't it? I suppose most people who commit crimes
have some sort of mental problem. Does that diminish their
responsibility? Or is that an irrelevant question? Should
society's main concern just be to eliminate the threat they
pose to the rest of us?
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (9 of 21), Read 32 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Dean Denis dddenis@telus.net
Date:
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 04:25 PM
I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. I'm
glad that I finally did.
Of course, I had already heard much about this book and
the tremendous effort which Capote put into its writing. So,
as I read I was quite conscious of looking for exactly the
type of embellishments which you mention, Ann. If you see
anything like that let me know but I couldn't find a single
thing which Capote could not have learned from the
extensive interviews which he conducted.
I don't see him inventing anything so much as expending
tremendous effort in marshalling the facts into a specific
order and level of detail. I think that his control and
judgement of placement are amazing.
Dean
All roads lead to roam.
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (10 of 21), Read 27 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Wednesday, June 05, 2002 09:32 PM
Dean,
As I recall, Capote described the thoughts of the people he
was writing about, including the Clutters. Much of this had
to be speculation. I'll see if I can find some examples later.
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (11 of 21), Read 24 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Anne Wilfong anne.wilfong@gte.net
Date:
Thursday, June 06, 2002 01:44 PM
Ann,
I don't believe "mental illness" excuses anyone from
committing crimes. The ability to know right from wrong is
evident by about age five at the latest, if I remember
correctly!
That's why I have such a problem with an insanity plea.
People may be "insane" but they should still be held
responsible for their acts.
Perry had some arguments about the death penalty,
wondering why no one saw anything in him to "salvage" or
rehabilitate. Does anyone think Perry had rehab potential?
Anne, glad no one gets put to death by hanging any more!
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (12 of 21), Read 23 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Sherry Keller shkell@starband.net
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 07:03 AM
I don't know what to think about Perry's rehab "potential."
I wouldn't want him on the outside rehabilitated, that's for
sure. Do you think he would have killed anyone without
someone like Hickock to spur him on? It seems to me that
the whole point of the killings was to impress Hickock. Too
bad those two ended up together.
I felt sorry for him and horrified by him simultaneously.
Sherry
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (13 of 21), Read 26 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Beej Connor connorva@mindspring.com
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 02:09 PM
I'm staunchly opposed to the death penalty, but what even
horrified me more were the living conditions in those death
row cells..a 7 by 10 foot cell, a weekly shower and change
of clothing, especially for those on death row for several
years running, is absolutely appalling to me.
Beej
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (14 of 21), Read 23 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 03:55 PM
When I remember Perry and Dick's coldblooded plans to kill
the drivers who picked them up when they were
hitchhiking, I think that society needed to be protected from
them for good. This is not to say that the death penalty
was the answer. However, we were told that Kansas had
no sentence of life without parole at the time, and the
average lifer got out in 15 years. These men were so
damaged, I tend to think they couldn't have been salvaged.
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (15 of 21), Read 32 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Beej Connor connorva@mindspring.com
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 04:26 PM
I agree, Ann. There is no easy answer.
It really bothered me that Dick got the death penalty when
he didn't kill anybody. They were tried together, weren't
they? I think it might have been fairer if they had been tried
separately.
Beej
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (16 of 21), Read 30 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 06:12 PM
Beej,
It didn't bother me that Dick got the death penalty because
the robbery was his plan, and part of the plan was that
they would leave no witnesses. He said he had picked
Perry in particular because he figured he could kill.
Apparently, Dick wasn't too sqeamish to rape women or
sexually abuse children, but he lacked the nerve to kill.
Perry, on the other hand, could kill without much thought,
but Dick's plan to rape Nancy and his pedophilia sickened
him.
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (17 of 21), Read 24 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Anne Wilfong anne.wilfong@gte.net
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 07:05 PM
"Bad seeds." That's what my grandmother used to call folks
like Perry and Dick. No place for them in the garden at all.
I agree, they got no less than what they deserved.
Somehow I thought Leon the snitch would have been
implicated somehow for giving all the intimate details of the
Clutter home. But he ended up back in prison, anyway.
It must have been difficult to live in that small town while
the investigation was going on, with neighbors accusing
neighbors, women changing the locks on the doors...And it
would have been heart breaking to go to the estate
auction. I nearly cried for poor Babe.
Anne
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (18 of 21), Read 37 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Beej Connor connorva@mindspring.com
Date:
Friday, June 07, 2002 08:26 PM
I live in a state with a high execution rate, and I think that
really sealed my stand against capital punishment, and tho
I found both Smith and Hickock repulsive and their
murderous rampage horrifying, I just can't, personally,
straddle the fence on this issue. But, I can certainly
understand why most folks would differ with me on this,
especially in a case such as the Clutter murders.
Having said that, what happened to this family, a cold
blooded killing with no real apparent motive (I have a
feeling the [nonexistent] safe was not the issue as much as
a hatred for and jealousy of these good people) is
especially terrifying because we tend to trust that if we are
good, fair and decent, no harm will come our
way..especially within the walls of our homes. But, if this
could happen to the Clutters, it could happen to anyone.
and that's what I find so frightening.
Beej
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (19 of 21), Read 23 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Sunday, June 09, 2002 12:50 AM
Exactly, Beej.
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (20 of 21), Read 28 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Sherry Keller shkell@starband.net
Date:
Sunday, June 09, 2002 07:58 AM
Do any of you think Smith would have eventually killed
someone if he hadn't teamed up with Hickock?
Sherry
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (21 of 21), Read 31 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Sunday, June 09, 2002 11:11 AM
Sherry,
That's an interesting question. It appeared that neither of
these men had ever killed anyone before. Perry lied about
beating the black man to death. Maybe they were just a
lethal combination.
I certainly don't think Dick was a better man than Perry, but
he did seem to lack a kind of nerve when it came to killing.
He recognized this, which is why he chose Perry to
participate in the Clutter robbery. He also planned to have
Perry kill the driver when they were hitchhiking. Capote
comes close to depicting Perry as Dick's agent as far as the
murders were concerned. I do feel that Dick was every bit
as responsible even though his partner did the actual
killing.
Ann
Topic: In Cold Blood - the book (23 of 26), Read 20 times
Conf: Classics Corner
From: Thom Hanser thomhanser@hotmail.com
Date: Sunday, July 07, 2002 03:34 PM
You know when TC first went to Kansas to do research on ICB, he brought along a very unusual bodyguard--his childhood tomboy friend, Harper (ToKillaMockingbird)Lee. Thom
Topic: In Cold Blood - the book (24 of 26), Read 25 times
Conf: Classics Corner
From: Beej Connor connorva@mindspring.com
Date: Sunday, July 07, 2002 10:43 PM
Didn't Capote dedicate ICB to Harper Lee? I don't have the book any more so I can't check.
I know, too, he took the photo of Harper Lee that's on the jacket of 'To Kill A Mockingbird.'
Beej
Topic: In Cold Blood - the book (25 of 26), Read 22 times
Conf: Classics Corner
From: Robert Armstrong rla@nac.net
Date: Monday, July 08, 2002 12:25 AM
Beej,
The first printing reads: "For Jack Dunphy and Harper Lee with my love and gratitude."
Robt
Topic: In Cold Blood - the book (26 of 26), Read 20 times
Conf: Classics Corner
From: Janet Mego vsjego@cs.com
Date: Monday, July 08, 2002 01:17 PM
I read this one about five or six years ago. It's highlighted in my mind because of the intensity of the book itself and because when I read it there was a lot of turbulence in my own life, and the book provided a very strange sort of distraction for me at the time. I read it a month or so after my divorce was final. At the same time, I had been recommended to an oncologist as a result of a number of suspicious Pap smears (which, thank God, turned out to be false alarms). On the up side, I had also just met a wonderful man with whom I had lots in common, including a passion for Great Literature. He recommended ICB, and loaned me his personal copy. He drove me back and forth to my doctor's appointments. He was later to become my husband. Interesting, at times, the things that we associate with the books we have read.
"Wouldn't something less horrific be a better distraction from the effects of divorce and fear of cancer?"--you may well ask. Well, no, ironically, not for me. The matter-of-fact, cold-bloodedness (?) of the tone itself at times, the mesmerizing unfolding of events, the incredible job of characterizing the killers and their victims--these were a strange sanctuary into which I dove with gratitude--and these were the first things that flew through my mind when I saw that this was the book for the month. Maybe the dread unfolding in the story diminished my own.
The reviewer asks if this is a book to re-read. Good question. I'm not sure I could do it, for a variety of complex reasons. I do remember Perry Smith's character as being more sympathetically drawn, and I remember that I got the impression from somewhere that there were rumors that Capote had fallen in a strange sort of love with him as a result of his interviews. This could have been the result of gossip-mongers and sensationalists, easily. However, I am curious about Capote's impression of Smith and the lasting effect it had on him, as a writer and as a human being. I tried clicking on the second link, but couldn't access it, for some reason. I wonder if it mentions anything about this. What a concept, that a writer of Capote's sensitivity might have not only found within himself sympathy for this man, but something much more profound.
I am off now to see if I can't at least find the book somewhere on our shelves. Like you, Ruth, I know it was once in our possession. And parts of it, at least, are probably worth re-reading for purposes of this thread. Who suggested this one, anyway?
Janet
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (27 of 31), Read 25 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Janet Mego vsjego@cs.com
Date:
Saturday, July 20, 2002 11:24 AM
Umm. . .gosh, what did I say? I seem to have mutated this
discussion into absolute muteness, somehow. Or is
everybody just too hot to think? Maybe that's it. Seems
like there's lots of fodder here for a good CR critique, tho.
This book is so different from most Capote, for one thing.
Again I refer to an eerie, coldbloodedness in the telling, an
objective matter-of-factness through which Capote's
familiar voice still whispers, but is not really heard.
I was leafing through August's VANITY FAIR, and came
upon a brief mention of a photographer, Todd Hido, whose
photographs "capture the emotional ether that gathers in
the air like dewy fog. The atmospheric intensity has a
painterly glow; light emanates from inside houses, hovers
over grassy yards, sharpening the picket fences. A
streetlight becomes a spotlight, the klieg of childhood,
summoning you back to the place where memory and
imagination itersect. 'There's a delicious melancholic
loneliness in his work that's sometimes like an Updike
novel and sometimes reminiscent of IN COLD BLOOD--very
American,' says art dealer Paul Morris."
I can't post a link to the photos, but they are, in fact,
reminiscent of the overall tone of this book. Maybe
someone else can--? And I will go looking for specific
passages that reflect this idea.
If anyone's interested. . .
Stay cool, all.
Janet
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (28 of 31), Read 20 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
R Bavetta rbavetta@prodigy.net
Date:
Saturday, July 20, 2002 12:29 PM
I love it when seemingly independent works link up in a
kind of symbiosis. Here's an example of Hido's work:
And a link to the Stephen Wirtz gallery in San Francisco,
which represents him. They have quite of few of his
photos on their website.
http://www.wirtzgallery.com/works/hido/works_hido.html
Ruth
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (29 of 31), Read 21 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Janet Mego vsjego@cs.com
Date:
Saturday, July 20, 2002 07:04 PM
Oh, Ruth: I knew you'd come through. This is a wonderful
example of what this critic means, I think--a stark, icy
quality that still speaks of Americana and cold-blooded
objectivity, like ICB.
And I love those kind of relationships, too. That particular
quality of light is stunning. . .
Janet
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (30 of 31), Read 12 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Saturday, July 20, 2002 08:14 PM
Janet,
I just saw your earlier note of July 8 today. What an eerie
place this novel occupied in your life - I can understand
why it appealed to you at the time, but also why you are
hesitant to reread it.
I found some references on the internet to Capote's
"love" for Perry Smith, but none of them seemed to be
from a reputable source. His sympathy for Smith is very
obvious in the book. He seemed to feel that Smith's
miserable upbringing and the deformity of his legs at least
helped to explain how he turned out so twisted. Hickock's
past seemed to offer no such excuses.
My search did lead me to a book review of George
Plimpton's book about Capote by Andrew O'Hagan (in the
London Review of Books?) at the following site:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v20n07/ohag2007.htm.
Several of Plimpton's sources raised questions about the
accuracy of Capote's work, something (as a former history
major :) ) that really intrigues me. According to this
review:
He swore it was all accurate, but it is clear now he invented
whole sections: the business of the lady in Las Vegas, the
idea that Detective Alvin Dewey closed his eyes as the
executions took place, the ending, where Dewey meets a
young friend of Nancy, one of the slain, in a cemetery
overlooking the town.
That last scene describing the meeting between Dewey
and Nancy's "friend" didn't ring true to me when I was
reading the book.
On another internet site, I read that Capote witnessed
Hickock's execution, but didn't stay for Smith's.
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (31 of 31), Read 13 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
R Bavetta rbavetta@prodigy.net
Date:
Saturday, July 20, 2002 08:57 PM
Thanks to you, Janet, for introducing me to this
photographer. Really great work.
Look at this one. It seems to be the epitome of
intersecting by non-communication lives. The tall little
house that seems to be hugging itself to itself, the two
cars faced in opposite directions, the network of wires.
Chilling.
Ruth
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (32 of 40), Read 18 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Janet Mego vsjego@cs.com
Date:
Monday, July 22, 2002 10:01 PM
Yeah, that's a wonderful one too. I love his colors.
Interesting how some material is a sort of . . fictionalized
fact(?).. for writers like Capote, and Tim O'Brien, whom
we've been discussing on a different thread, as well. Each
seems to embellish the truth in each one's characteristic
way. Emphasizes the nebulous quality of truth, whatever
that may be. I like that.
Janet
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (33 of 40), Read 19 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 02:21 PM
I don't know, Janet. It bothers me when writers fictionalize
something and present it as fact. It's not fair to the people
who lived it.
Tim O'Brien's characters have always seemed very real to
me, but it is clear that they are fictional. Capote, on the
other hand, presents the characters in IN COLD BLOOD as
entirely factual, when he seems to have invented
characters and incidents for the sake of dramatic unity and
intensity. It makes me wonder what else he artificially
imposed on these characters' thoughts, which are so often
described in the book.
Many authors have followed Capote's lead in combining
fact and fiction (faction?), but I find the popularity of this
whole genre of docudrama somewhat disturbing.
What about the rest of you?
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (34 of 40), Read 19 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Barbara Moors bar647@aol.com
Date:
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 02:41 PM
I absolutely loved In Cold Blood and, when I found out that
Capote fabricated some, I didn't regret reading it because
the writing was so incredible. However, I generally avoid
highly fictionalized history because I don't want those
inaccuracies cluttering up my brain. I do like historical
fiction, but I enjoy it much more when the writer is known
for researching the available facts exhaustively.
Barb
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (35 of 40), Read 21 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Ann Davey davey@tconl.com
Date:
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 04:55 PM
Barb,
I really enjoyed IN COLD BLOOD too. Once I started, I
couldn't put it down. However, I would have felt more
comfortable if he had used the facts of the story to create
a novel. I think the Clutters had a right to their privacy and
the strict truth of what happened. I wonder how the
surviving daughters felt about this book.
You bring up an interesting point about historical fiction.
Usually, the only thing that bothers me about that genre is
the historical inaccuracies. Maybe that's because it's
usually set in the much more distant past and because the
historical figures seem to have become part of the public
domain due to their fame. I suppose I'm being
inconsistent.
Ann
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (36 of 40), Read 22 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Thom Hanser thomhanser@hotmail.com
Date:
Wednesday, July 24, 2002 07:23 AM
For the pure pleasure of reading, I'll take the "non-fiction"
novel anytime in lieu of a boring "just the facts mam,"
account. And, as a Capoteholic, I loved the Plimpton
verbal-bio, which was also nothing but hearsay (sound a
lot like heresy doesn't it). Thom
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (37 of 40), Read 14 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Barbara Moors bar647@aol.com
Date:
Thursday, July 25, 2002 08:06 AM
The only Plimpton book I've read is Paper Lion --
Confessions of a Last String Quarterback, Thom, and it was
wonderful. Plimpton's wry humor and self-deprecating
voice appealed to me enormously and I was not much of a
football fan at the time. I'd like to read the one on Capote
at some point.
Barb
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (38 of 40), Read 16 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Robert Armstrong rla@nac.net
Date:
Saturday, July 27, 2002 10:28 AM
Thom,
I loved Plimpton's book on Capote, too.
Robt
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (39 of 40), Read 16 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Thom Hanser thomhanser@hotmail.com
Date:
Saturday, July 27, 2002 07:16 PM
My most memorable quote form Plimpton's came from
Normal Mailer when asked about how Capote's writing
differed from anyone else's. And the author of Cannibals
and Christian sayeth, most of us write in metaphor, while
TC just created one great sentence after another.
For some reason, that stuck with me. Thom
Topic:
In Cold Blood - the book (40 of 40), Read 15 times
Conf:
Classics Corner
From:
Janet Mego vsjego@cs.com
Date:
Monday, July 29, 2002 09:28 PM
All good points. Ann, thanks for some particularly
enlightening info.
Some fictionalizing of fact goes too far, I admit. Food for
thought.
Janet
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Truman Capote
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