6. read a review

"...you have written a dull unreadable book which could have been written by any staff writer on the New Yorker — (an undercover reactionary periodical dedicated to the interests of vested American wealth). You have placed your services at the disposal of interests who are turning America into a police state by the simple device of deliberately fostering the conditions that give rise to criminality and then demanding increased police powers and the retention of capital punishment to deal with the situation they have created. You have betrayed and sold out the talent that was granted you by this department. That talent is now officially withdrawn. Enjoy your dirty money. You will never have anything else. You will never write another sentence above the level of In Cold Blood. As a writer you are finished. Over and out. Are you tracking me? Know who I am? You know me, Truman. You have known me for a long time. This is my last visit."

July 23, 1970
William Burroughs



This letter-review written by one of the major American writers of the postmodernist's era to Capote. Probably the most personal and devastating review ever.  I won't judge the judgment of one of the great writer to another great writer my knowledge in literature is not enough, but I do not share this opinion, I think this book neither dull nor unreadable.
By the way it's curious the critics say ''in the cold blood'' is a culmination of Truman's creative life and he had never excelled himself anymore, so those proved to be Burroughs' words oracular

5. speculate about information gaps

- no information about the the food Сlutter's might consumed before the death
Might be porrige
- no information about Dick's infacy
He might has had a happy infacy
- no information about what Mrs. Hickock (the detective) favourite music band was
He might didn't like music at all
- no information about Bobby Rupp's previous girlfriends (before he has met Nancy Clutter)
Maybe it was Julia Green
- no information about Cookie, what's happend when Perry droped her
Maybe she forgot him

imho there are no gaps in the novel, like in the painting, an artist never leaves a bare canvas. it's complete work

9. provide your own ending.

okay, you asked for it!

Perry and Dick go to Mexico (as in the novel).
But soon the pangs of conscience does not allow them to live normally, and they repent and decide to devote their body and soul to the service of God and humanity by helping the elderly, the homeless and the orphans.
At the same time, British scientists invent a vaccine that revitalizes the Clutter's family.
Than Clutter's family go to Mexico to get revenge for the unpleasant night when they were killed.
When all the party gather together at the Mexico beach they understand how stupid they were, apologize, hug and kiss and start to live like hippies in the commune
"Shed their clothes, put on a relaxed grin, and live like a Rajah" (as Perry wanted and dreamt of)

8. filming the story

"Capote" is a 2005 film obviously about Capote,
following the events during the writing of Capote's
non-fiction book in the cold blood. 

When I first found out about its existance
I indeed was anxios to see it,
and hoped that this movie would live up to the expectations
and I wouldn't need to read a book, but watch only the film. But unfortunately this film is far from the plot of the book

In the film Truman Capote learns of the murder of a Kansas family
and decides to write a book about the case.
While researching for his novel,
Capote forms a relationship with one of the killers, Perry Smith, who is on death row.

 Richard Brook's film is nice and atmospheric.
The movie moves slowly but never loses its audience.
Philip Seymour Hoffman does not so much play Capote as become him.
Good fiilm. Highly recommend. 

I haven't told you about Perry Smith. 

This book is neither about Clutter's murder nor about Holocomb. It's about Perry. 

Poor dear Perry, mocked Perry, downtrodden be life, dreamy, sensitive, talented, poetic, romantic, lonely, misunderstood Perry, whose alcoholic mother died in his childhood and whose father and two siblings committed suicide. Why the life was such severe to you? 

Perry, living with a constant pain in the legs, lost in the darkness. Kind Perry, who underlaid corpses with cushions, bitchy monster Perry, why why did you kill 'em?

I had one vague thought, but it wasn't formed. My mind struggled. I thought impossible to justify these bastards, these beasts who killed so cruelly innocent family. But it's not as easy as it seems

Perry is not the executioner, but the victim. The victim of the society, the victim of his parents, of the people's indifference and hatred. All are guilty. Little by little, every Perry's torturer was killing Clutters.
Moreover, we all are still killing Clutters by our indifference to each other

2. comment on a passage or sentence from the text

One day Perry left the poem for Cookie (the only girl he loved and could have married) explaining why he must hurt them both by leaving her: 

"There's a race of men that don't fit in, 

A race that can't stay still; So they 

break the hearts of kith and kin; 

And they roam the world at will. 

They range the field and they rove the flood, 

And they climb the mountain's crest; 

Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood, 

And they don't know how to rest. 

If they just went straight they might go far; 

They are strong and brave and true; 

But they're always tired of the things that are 
And they want the strange and new.."

It displays Perry’s perception of himself as exceptional (even “artistic”), misunderstood, unsuited for conventional living, and the fact that others have, throughout his life, looked down on him, viewed him as inferior or inadequate.

vocabulary

literal minded person - не обладающий фантазией, мыслящий буквально

to be a tongue-tied  - язык не поворачивается

grouchy - ворчливый

willowy - (о человеке) тонкий, длинный 

wan - (о человеке) бледный, изнуренный

inseparable friends - неразлучные друзья

to grasp the implication – понять, уловить смысл

to find solace in - найти утешение

buff = fan\lover

to cell – мотать срок

tires - шины

efficient - продуктивный
grab a bite (to eat) - перекусить немного

ethereality - бесплотность, воздушность

to wolf down - заглатывать пищу с жадностью, уплетать

to be pious - благочестивый, набожный

ultimately = finally

austere - строгий, аскетический

nightgown - сорочка

mulberries - ягоды шелковицы

venomous - ядовитый
squint - косоглазие
good point -  точно сказано
a bitter sediment - горький осадок
to be maimed - быть калекой
to be in fuss - возиться
a vague man - мутный пацан
let it slip - проговориться
devote whole life - посвятить всю жизньtrait - черта характера
stocky - коренастый
exuberantly - обильно
keep your cool - расслабься
hummingbird - колибри

holler - кричать

hay-loft - сеновал

recollection- воспоминание

kidneys - почки

Mr. Capote immerses me into the atmosphere of quiet western American town Holocomb in its 60's. Rare folks in stetsons (cowboy hats), far away noise of "the keening hysteria of coyotes", tumbleweed rolling through the deserted streets - are appropriate scenery for the film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"

I've met with the Clutter's family which lead a prosperous and principled life. Herb - respected owner and proprietor of River Valley, accurate and sraight man, “die-hard community booster" living by strict day-to-day regimen.
His wife Bonnie - nervous woman which suffers from chronic depression and their children: "town darling" Nancy, nice and kind-hearted girl and fifteen-years-old boy Kenyon - huge technics fan


Here's the real photo of the family members

P.S. It is so dreadfully cruel for Capote to say at the very beginning about four-people-murder and then to write about four family members, creating sympathy for almost every character

Truman Streckfus Persons known as Truman Capote was an American author, screenwriter and playwright, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the crimenovel In Cold Blood (1966), which he labeled a "nonfiction novel" and which I'm going to read and analize.

Capote had a bohemian lifestyle, he was an open homosexual and was a very eccentric man. He had played several roles in movies, and in 1977 for his role in the film of Lionel Twain "Dinner with murder" was nominated for a famous film award "Golden Globe" in the category "Best Acting Debut in a feature film". Truman Capote died August 25, 1984 in Los Angeles from cirrhosis of the liver caused by opiate toxicity at age 59.

In Russia Capote became widely known due to the novel "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and its famous film adaptation with Audrey Hepburn. I've heard about this film since my childhood, but I didn't know about the book and even more its author.

But after many years, in the autumn evening one friend of mine famous for his exquisite taste in music and literature, strongly recommended a book of some Capote. Oh, okay, I'll read it somehow I said and passed it off thinking about other things. Probably that "somehow" has come I remembered this advice, read some reviews which is said that detective is the acme of his writing skill (curious: this book is also in the top favorite books of David Bowie) and decided to read "In the Cold Blood"

Honestly, I do not expect much from the book, suspect it's detective story in the same strain of Agatha Christie's books. But I hope there will be a lot of blood, new words, pithy phrases, a bit of mystery or even more, maybe it will suggest some interesting thoughts

So, let's start!