“Precious Pleasures”. Truman Capote’s Letters: Reconstructing the Creative History of the Novel In Cold Blood

Abstract

The article is devoted to certain aspects of Truman Capote’s epistolary heritage. The letters, their comments and interpretation together with some recent literary findings shed light on the Harper Lee’s works and the history of the creation of the bestseller In Cold Blood (1965). The article specifies the exact date when Capote started to work on his documentary novel and provides information about the author’s competitor Mack Nations, whose book High Road To Hell could have interfered with the literary success of In Cold Blood. The facts presented in the article demonstrate the importance of studying Truman Capote’s letters and the similar sources; arguments are given in favor of publishing a collection of Capote’s letters in Russian, including the letters addressed to his Russian friend Boris Groudinko and a number of new letters discovered by the Russian researcher.

Keywords

• truman capote
• harper lee
• boris groudinko
• truman capote’s letters
• gerald clarke
• mack nations
• in cold blood
• the murder of the clutter family
• literary findings
• alvin dewey
• documentary novel
• history of the creation of the novel in cold blood