In Cold Blood, published in 1966, is a work of long-form narrative journalism that Truman Capote labeled a "nonfiction novel," applying the techniques of literary fiction to the account of an actual criminal case.

Capote was born in New Orleans on September 30, 1924, and later attended Dwight School and Greenwich High School. He worked across multiple forms throughout his career, functioning as a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, autobiographer, and actor. Writing in English, he was associated with the Southern Gothic genre, and his output ranged from the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's to journalism, plays, and screenplays. His versatility across these forms shaped the body of work from which In Cold Blood eventually emerged, as his background in both fiction and journalism gave him the tools to construct the sustained narrative that the "nonfiction novel" label was meant to describe.

Capote received the O. Henry Award in recognition of his writing. He died in Los Angeles on August 25, 1984. The designation he applied to In Cold Blood — "nonfiction novel" — remains the most concrete marker of his contribution to prose writing, reflecting his argument that rigorous factual reporting and the craft of literary fiction were not mutually exclusive but could be fused within a single sustained work.