I first discovered Truman Capote when I saw the 2005 film Capote. I had heard of the writer but knew only of the his eccentric nature, odd mannerisms, and the sizeable reputation of his written work. The plot of Capote revolves around the writer’s meticulous construction of In Cold Blood, which I read and found mesmerizing.

In Cold Blood display’s Capote’s love of research, but it also demonstrates impeccable fiction technique. The writer’s melding of objective journalism with fictional structures created a new brand of writing that he dubbed “The Nonfiction Novel.” Capote’s sentence structure, his word usage, and his power of description are masterful.

I decided to read Capote’s The Complete Stories next. Despite the writer’s track record, I began reading with an air of reluctance. How could the same writer of an expansive masterpiece of New Journalism convert his talents to the short story format? Obviously, my pessimism was misplaced, and patently, the short story collection displays an entirely separate level of mastery.

History, it turns out, shines some light on why. Capote was a well-established writer prior to In Cold Blood. He had already contributed short stories to publications such as Harper’s, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic Monthly, as well as published two books, the novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s and novel Other Voices, Other Rooms. Capote wrote these short stories well before he wrote In Cold Blood.

The Complete Stories displays a side of Capote that I did not think existed, a side that is warm, funny, caring, and mysterious. Capote can show us, in a six-page story, all the angles and nuances of any well-developed character. In these stories, the precision and accuracy of his descriptions, dialogue, and storytelling show a clear master at work.

The content of Capote’s short stories was the first thing that caught my eye, but the second was the language in which he wrote. With his prodigious vocabulary, metropolitan style, and A-class celebrity acquaintances in New York City, it is easy to forget that Capote was a southerner.

Born in Louisiana, Capote was raised in Alabama, and it is clear from the language in these stories that he listened intently to the various dialects of the region when he lived there. “My Side of the Matter,” “Preacher’s Legend,” and especially “Children on Their Birthdays” sparkle with the color of southern colloquialism, and the language of these stories is just another indicator of just how good a writer Capote truly was.

Anyone learning the craft of short story writing might as well read this collection. The tuition is cheap, and the rewards are incalculable. The Complete Stories of Truman Capote provide a full meal of humor, tragedy, and elevation, and I recommend it highly.