Query: Truman Capote is an American writer.

Relevant passages:
In Cold Blood <=SEP=> In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel by American author Truman Capote , first published in 1966 ; it details the 1959 murders of four members of the Herbert Clutter family in the small farming community of Holcomb , Kansas .   When Capote learned of the quadruple murder , before the killers were captured , he decided to travel to Kansas and write about the crime . He was accompanied by his childhood friend and fellow author Harper Lee , and together they interviewed local residents and investigators assigned to the case and took thousands of pages of notes . The killers , Richard `` Dick '' Hickock and Perry Smith , were arrested six weeks after the murders and later executed by the state of Kansas , and Capote ultimately spent six years working on the book . When finally published , In Cold Blood was an instant success , and today is the second-biggest-selling true crime book in publishing history , behind Vincent Bugliosi 's 1974 book Helter Skelter about the Charles Manson murders .   Some critics consider Capote 's work the original non-fiction novel , though other writers had already explored the genre , such as Rodolfo Walsh in Operación Masacre ( 1957 ) . It has been especially lauded for its eloquent prose , extensive detail , and simultaneous triple narrative , which describes the lives of the murderers , the victims , and other members of the rural community in alternating sequences . The psychologies and backgrounds of Hickock and Smith are given special attention , as well as the complex relationship that existed between them during and after the murders . In Cold Blood is regarded by critics as a pioneering work in the true crime genre , though Capote was disappointed that the book failed to win the Pulitzer Prize . Critics have also noted that parts of the book , including important details , differ from the real events .

Truman Capote <=SEP=> Truman Garcia Capote ( -LSB- ˈtruːmən_kəˈpoʊti -RSB- born Truman Streckfus Persons , September 30 , 1924 -- August 25 , 1984 ) was an American novelist , screenwriter , playwright , and actor , many of whose short stories , novels , plays , and nonfiction are recognized as literary classics , including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany 's ( 1958 ) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood ( 1966 ) , which he labeled a `` nonfiction novel '' . At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced of Capote novels , stories , and plays .   Capote rose above a childhood troubled by divorce , a long absence from his mother , and multiple migrations . He had discovered his calling as a writer by the age of 8 ( The Dick Cavett Show , aired August 21 , 1980 ) , and for the rest of his childhood he honed his writing ability . Capote began his professional career writing short stories . The critical success of one story , `` Miriam '' ( 1945 ) , attracted the attention of Random House publisher Bennett Cerf , and resulted in a contract to write the novel Other Voices , Other Rooms ( 1948 ) . Capote earned the most fame with In Cold Blood , a journalistic work about the murder of a Kansas farm family in their home . Capote spent four years writing the book aided by his lifelong friend Harper Lee , who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird ( 1960 ) .   A milestone in popular culture , In Cold Blood was the peak of Capote 's literary career . In the 1970s , he maintained his celebrity status by appearing on television talk shows .