182
PARTISAN REVIEW
much a book written by Truman Capote. You felt it every step of the
way.
fA:
It
also novelizes much more.
NM:
Yeah, he novelizes more, where I was determined to keep to the
factual narrative. I wanted my book to read like a novel, and it does,
but I didn't want ever
to
sacrifice what literally happened in a scene
for what I would have liked to see happen. Of course, I could afford
to feel that way. I had advantages Truman didn't. His killers were
not the most interesting guys in the world, so it took Truman 's
exquisite skills
to
make his work a classic. I was in the more
promising position of dealing with a man who was quintessentially
American and yet worthy of Dostoevsky.
If
this were not enough, he
was also in love with a girl who-I'll go so far as to say-is a bona
fide American heroine. I didn ' t want, therefore, to novelize a bit.
Dedicated accuracy is not usually the first claim you wish to make for
books like this, but here it became a matter of literary self–
preservation. I wanted people to believe me. What I had was gold, if I
had enough sense not to gild it.
