Truman Capote was known for having a grand social life. He was a very eccentric and humorous guy who loved to be in the spot light. Truman became popular because he was gay, he had a great personality, and he was a wonderful author. Some of Truman Capote’s most popular novels are Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and In Cold Blood. He always wanted to be a great author and wanted more credit for what he wrote but he already had all the fame he needed. Truman Capote’s first novel was Other Voices, Other Rooms. People found this book to be very out of the norm. This book increased his fame and praise but also drew a lot of controversy for the stories subject matter: a boy who falls in love with a transvestite. Truman Capote, along with his book, also drew a lot of attention to the photograph of Truman which was a provocative posture. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was one of his best novels. Truman Capote loved the social life. He constantly wanted to be going out partying and wanted to be the center of attention. He met a girl named Holly Golightly who made his book Breakfast at Tiffany’s possible. Holly was a woman who depended on men to get by with everything in life. Truman went to social events with her and spent as much time as possible with her. Once he got enough stories about her life he wrote the popular and successful book Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The novel soon became a movie starring Aubrey Hepburn. Even after Truman’s fame from his first two popular novels, he still wasn’t happy. He wanted to be a more successful and famous author. He also wanted to write a journalist novel or as he calls a nonfictional novel. Truman Capote then heard about a murder in a small town in Kansas and he knew then what he would write his nonfictional novel about. This is when his bestselling novel, In Cold Blood, came into perspective. Truman and his friend Harper Lee went down to Kansas to do their part in some research. They asked the townspeople their opinion and who they thought committed the murder, they spoke with friends of the Clutter family, they spoke with the policemen, and they even spoke with the two murderers. Truman and Harper would only listen to the people and would remember everything that happened that day and what they all heard then at the end of the day Truman and Harper would share thoughts and write down their notes. People say as soon as Truman met with Perry and Dick he immediately gave all his attention to Perry and didn’t seem to care for Dick too much. Right from the beginning of the book we find out who Dick and Perry are: we also learn about each member of the Clutter family and the last day they were alive. Many reviews of the book say it’s a brilliant book and a great read but only if you can handle the gruesome descriptions and thoughts. A few reviews would say that Truman made you feel sympathetic for Perry but not for Dick. Other reviews say that Truman wrote In Cold Blood not because of this trauma but because of his utter adoration for Perry. They say that the exhilaration Capote presents comes from the incredible talent and potential that he saw in Perry. Some reviews noticed how similar Truman’s and Perry’s writing was and thought that Truman helped Perry with some of his writing or vice versa. In Cold Blood put Truman Capote at the top of the list for best novel. It also put him at the top of the list for popularity in the social world which Truman loved: but there were many controversies over this book. Did Truman take advantage of Perry to win his confidence and his confessions? Did he ever really empathize, despite their common emotional pain? Did the love between Perry and Truman die as soon as Truman got what he needed? None of these questions were ever really answered with the truth. Once Truman was done writing In Cold Blood, he got involved with a lot of drugs and became an alcoholic. He went to rehab multiple times but it never seemed to help. Truman wrote one last short book called Answered Prayers. Truman thought this book would be his bestselling of all his novels. The book wasn’t successful at all and all his friends turned against him once they realize that Truman’s characters were based off of them and their social life. All Truman wanted to do was have a glamorous social life which soon took his life. He wanted the fame and to be the best known author. At the time he may or may not have been the best known author but now, his readers all cherish his eccentric books.
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