I am embarrassed to wait too long to read two brilliant true crime story novels : one of them is Helter Skelter and the other is of course this blood chilling, disturbing book I’m reviewing right now as I’m slapping my forehead. Sometimes I have hard time to prioritize my reading list and my chubby tbr may direct me wrong kind of books! But today I’m so happy to find my way to this classic after watching it’s amazing movie adaptation.

After four members of Herbert Clutter family were brutally killed in a small town named Holcomb located in Kansas, Mr. Capote decides to write an article about those murders by traveling to this small town just before the killers are caught.

He is accompanied by the one and only Harper Lee ( we realize they are childhood friends), making interviews with the locals who know about family history and police officers who are conducting the investigation. Six weeks later two perpetrators are finally convicted and executed in Kansas.

It’s quiet different nonfiction with its elaborated, long and detailed depictions. You want to skip those parts to focus on crimes and the trial process but you find yourself enjoy those chapters which are more like his short fiction stories than a nonfiction directly talking about the facts of crime.

Mr. Capote finish this book in six years and organize those thousands of pages interviews with people chronically. It was truly fascinating, unique classic. Especially loyal fans of true crime stories shouldn’t miss it! I’m so relieved to read at last!

My favorite quotes:
“Just remember: If one bird carried every grain of sand, grain by grain, across the ocean, by the time he got them all on the other side, that would only be the beginning of eternity.”

“Imagination, of course, can open any door - turn the key and let terror walk right in.”

“The enemy was anyone who was someone he wanted to be or who had anything he wanted to have.”

“Those fellows, they're always crying over killers. Never a thought for the victims.”

“In school we only learn to recognize the words and to spell but the application of these words to real life is another thing that only life and living can give us.”

Capote paints perfect pictures of every character. You can almost feel them breathing right beside you. Their thoughts, their mannerisms, their physique, their psyche, etc. Bravo.

He painstakingly describes every detail—with thousands of commas and dashes preceding thousands of commas and dashes—his keen sense of observation (and exaggeration) is both impressive and tiring at the same time. I felt that Truman probably held the details of every interview close to his heart hence a lot of unnecessary banter between town-folk, relatives and even very minor characters were not omitted. The conversations were crucial, but somewhat too plenty.

I couldn't help but think of one of Disney's famous editing principles while reading this book: If it's not important in the telling of the story, cut it out. Of course, this is way beyond the family-oriented themes good ol' Walt implemented. It's gruesome, shocking and certainly deserves the accolade of the "true-crime" genre.

I love how Capote matter-of-factly drops sentences that depict the horror of the crime done after a rather mundane recollection of events. "I slit his throat." is one. Narratives of Nancy, Sue, Al Dewey stood out, perhaps because they had a natural flow to the story-telling and did not sound like a police report. Mrs. Kidwell's dream, though briefly described and wildly unbelievable, was haunting.

Now let me tell you why I am not impressed. My biggest question is: Would I have enjoyed this book if I didn't know that it was real? Will it stand up on its own minus the decades of controversy around it?

The answer lies in the text itself. The book is obviously a novelized transcript of interviews: if it isn't, then it certainly felt like it was. Truman Capote "filled in the blanks" with suppositions, questionable truths, and fictional drama—that wouldn't be an issue had he not boldly claimed his work to be "non-fiction".

It is my belief that Truman wanted to shock the mainstream with his empathic crusade for the murderers. Without question, he had an affinity for Perry and Judge Tate, and a clear distaste for Dick. Perhaps during the interviews, Hickok was appalled by Truman's nosy intrusions and homosexuality—that's just a guess—while Smith was more accommodating.

I am not sure if I am simply desensitized by the countless crime books, tv shows and movies I've seen. But I did not feel an ounce of pity towards the criminals. Things would have probably been different if I had read this in the 60s or 70s when coverage of crimes like these were bold and anti-Hollywood, therefore "cool".

Forgive my natural tendency to reject what's popular...for what most claim to be "a really great novel". I just had too many "Oh c'mon, how could you (Capote) have been there to know that?" moments to merit praise. Based on further research, many of the characters deny that many events in the book (Mrs. Meir having a picnic with Perry in jail for one) really happened.

Had this been categorized as a tale based on true events, then I would have given it double the stars. If you say this story is true, then I'll be doggoned if pertinent details were fabricated just to express that "creative license". It doesn't only not help in the telling of the story, it just makes the story something else entirely—a fictional one.

n  ‘I truthfully feel none of us have anyone to blame for whatever we have done with our own personal lives. It has been proven that at the age of 7 most of us have reached the age of reason—which means we do, at this age, understand & know the difference between right & wrong.’n

Truman Capote's, In Cold Blood is a captivating and chilling account of a brutal murder that shocked a small Kansas town in 1959. Capote's meticulous research and empathetic storytelling create a haunting portrait of the crime and its aftermath.

The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of both the victims and the killers, providing a deep understanding of the motivations and emotions involved. Capote's ability to delve into the minds of the perpetrators is particularly impressive, shedding light on the darkness that can consume human beings.

Capote does not shy away from the gruesome details of the murders, but rather uses them to highlight the fragility of life and the randomness of tragedy. Capote's sensitivity in depicting the victims' families and the community's response to the tragedy creates a sense of empathy and compassion.

The book's legacy lies in its groundbreaking approach to true crime writing. Capote's "new journalism" style, which combines literary techniques with factual reporting, influenced countless works in the genre.

In Cold Blood is a masterpiece of true crime literature that explores the depths of human nature and the profound impact of violence on individuals and society. Capote's storytelling and empathetic perspective make this book a haunting yet unforgettable read.

My Highest Recommendation.

n  ‘amazement, shading into dismay; a shallow horror sensation that cold springs of personal fear swiftly deepened.’n

This book is a perfect example of why I’m not all that interested in nonfiction, or maybe it’s just True Crime in general. Because the writing was stellar, the characterizations were excellent, the scenes were vividly captured, and the dialog was spot-on. And yet this story somehow failed to captivate me. In fact, it took me nearly the same amount of time to read Stephen King’s kitten squisher of a novel The Stand as it did this book, which is roughly ¼ the size.

At first glance, there are only a few things I could pinpoint which seemed out of place. Such as a few too many digressions over ultimately irrelevant characters, or random info dumps that served little purpose. Did we really need a sample page from Perry’s personal dictionary? That was downright painful to read through, see spoiler: And there were half a hundred other items he had decided he must take with him, among them his treasure maps, Otto’s sketchbook, and two thick notebooks, the thicker of which constituted his personal dictionary, a non-alphabetically listed miscellany of words he believed “beautiful” or “useful,” or at least “worth memorizing.” (Sample page: “Thanatoid = deathlike; Omnilingual = versed in languages; Amerce = punishment, amount fixed by court; Nescient = ignorance; Facinorous = atrociously wicked; Hagiophobia = a morbid fear of holy places & things; Lapidicolous = living under stones, as certain blind beetles; Dyspathy = lack of sympathy, fellow feeling; Psilopher = a fellow who fain would pass as a philosopher; Omophagia = eating raw flesh, the rite of some savage tribes; Depredate = to pillage, rob, and prey upon; Aphrodisiac = a drug or the like which excites sexual desire; Megalodactylous = having abnormally large fingers; Myrtophobia = fear of night and darkness.”)

It’s also worth noting that this story is not a completely factual account. Capote often embellished scenes and went into great detail about private conversations, thoughts, and even dreams. He wished to bring journalism into the fold of proper literature by adding a few narrative flourishes. A new technique he described as a “nonfiction novel.” (There’s an old New York Times interview in which he discussed this style of writing with George Plimpton.)

Knowing many of the details of the case beforehand undermined any potential mystery. But then Capote didn’t make any real attempt to hide the facts or string together a mystery. He often did the exact opposite, letting major details slip long before we saw the scenes play out. He effectively piqued my curiosity at what possible motive could have led to such a horrific crime. However, when that proved to be the lowest common denominator, all that remained was essential a character study.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much depth of character to these saintly victims. I have a hard time believing anyone’s perfect, yet that’s exactly how the family was portrayed. The kind and generous father, who was a leader and pillar of the community, the perfect son, the perfect daughter, who all the boys loved, who all the girls wished to emulate. No matter how busy her schedule was, she always found the time to help younger girls with their music, cooking, or homemaking lessons. Only the wife and mother was shown to be anything less than flawless. She suffered from postpartum depression, and often stayed locked away in her separate bedroom.

When these saints were slaughtered, panic and terror ran rampant throughout the small community. Everyone assumed that the murders must have been committed by one of their own. Suspicion and mistrust of neighbors spread like wildfire. Rumors and gossip reached a fevered pitch. Front doors were locked for the first time in memory.

It’s during this frenzied time that we meet a few of the more colorful characters, such as the mail messenger, Mother Truitt, the oldest native-born resident, a loud and opinionated busybody that seemingly knew all the towns’ dirty laundry. The conscientious and hardworking KBI agent, Alvin Dewey, assigned to oversee the investigation, whose health and sleep suffered greatly with worry over what clues he was missing. But make no mistake, it’s the two criminals themselves, Dick and Perry, who were the main focus of the narrative, and thus, by default, the most interesting characters. That fact alone played into the main issue I had with the book.

I’m typically a big fan of dark stories, but knowing that these horrific events happened to real people curbed my enthusiasm by a factor of about a million. I found it virtually impossible to sympathize with these perps’ difficult childhoods or poor life decisions that led them down the wrong path. Honestly, I didn’t care to delve into any aspects of their lives. These criminals weren’t all that interesting or clever; their crimes weren’t all that unique. In fact, Capote actually went into quite a bit of detail about several other murder sprees that occurred around the same time.

I’m not sure how this rural town crime, in flyover country, involving no one of great notoriety, so captivated a nation. Maybe it all stems from the loss of innocence in America. Yesteryear was a time marked by close-knit communities and unlocked doors, with friendly neighbors willing to work together to help the less fortunate. Then this shocking crime exploded into the headlines and shined a light on the seedy underbelly of America. Where all is not peace, love, and harmony; all are not working together toward the common good. This crime was the catalyst that sparked a change in those communities. People lost faith and trust in one another and grew suspicious of their neighbors. If something like that could happen here, it could happen anywhere. Best to lock the doors, oil the guns, and stay forever diligent!

3 Stars - Sorry, but to me, the entire story played out like an extended Dateline NBC episode.

Read as part of another Non-Crunchy Cool Classic Buddy Read.

With all the commonplace violence we are faced with today, bombarded constantly by a 24/7 news cycle, portrayals of violence in movies, video games, etc., it's easy to see why there may be a level of indifference, even apathy toward the problem. But occasionally a crime is committed that rocks us to the core; a crime so senseless, so brutal, that it defies explanation. This murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb Kansas in 1959 is just such a crime. Senseless: they stole less than 50 dollars. Brutal: they shot their 4 victims in the head at close range with a shotgun.

Of course, this crime, as violent as it was, would have been lost in the annals of crime history if not for Truman Capote. His relentless research, which led to this brilliant 1966 "non-fiction novel"' and the subsequent movie by the same name, will shine a spotlight on this innocent family and their brutal killers, Richard "Dick" Hickock and Perry Smith, for years to come.

One of the interesting side notes for me was the fact that Capote's childhood friend, author Harper Lee, accompanied and assisted him in his research for this book. My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is my dislike for the genre, and there were a few minor details that bothered me. But it's an extraordinary literary achievement, no doubt, and one that defines Capote's career still today.

“Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow trains streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, had never stopped there.”

Catching up…

I know. This is a book that has been around for a while. But when it became a donation to my Little Free Library Shed recently, I knew it was time to re-visit it and share my thoughts.

This book actually began as a New York Times murder story that transformed itself into spine-tingling suspense. Can you imagine picking up your newspaper and devouring this headline story with your breakfast coffee?

Capote felt he could tell the story of this Midwest killing that featured sinister murderers in a way that would capture readers’ interest.

A 4-member family of a prosperous farming family are viciously murdered at close-range with a shotgun. No apparent motive. Limited clues. A local FBI investigator, Alvin Dewey is shocked at how meaningless and cruel the crime appears. Who would do this and why? And, how could Capote get the details he needed to write his story beyond headline grabbers?

“Imagination, of course, can open any door – turn the key and let terror walk right in.”

He turned to friend and fellow author, Harper Lee, obviously known for “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She had a way of penetrating the silence that seemed to be protecting the remote Kansas community entrenched in the murders.

Once he was in, Capote conducted his own investigation which would encompass the manhunt, arrest and trial of the culprits. Capote shared…

“…the greatest intensity in art in all its shapes and sizes is achieved with a deliberate, hard and cool head.”

It truly is a real-crime drama that captivates as readers turn pages. And, even if we think we know the story already, probably through endless documentaries we have watched, it still is a privilege to read Capote.

This story made a huge impact on my life. There were six of us kids and come summer my mother couldn't handle all of us so she farmed me out every year to the aunts. One aunt lived in Indio. My mother put me on a Greyhound bus and nine years old; all alone with my brown paper grocery bag as luggage. I was scared to death. A Seagull hit the expansive windshield with splat of blood and feathers. Unfazed the driver merely turned on the windshield wipers and made and even bigger mess.
I arrived in Indio a hundred plus degrees and my aunt Carol picked me up at the bus station. She said she was taking me and my cousin Danny to the movies. Oh, boy I loved the movies. We stopped at a store to pick up some candy and I bought my favorite Chicken-O-stick. I was nine my cousin was seven, she bought our tickets at The Aztec theater and ushered us through the door. She said she'd be back when the movie was over. It was nice to be out of the sweltering heat. We sat down ate our candy in great anticipation. The movie started and it was in black and white. It was In Cold Blood, not something a nine year old should be watching.
Ten years later my cousin Danny and my Aunt Carol would be arrested for killing my favorite uncle Don in a murder for hire. My aunt hired a hit man out of Orange County named Cornelius. They stiffed in a fake call of an emergency at the Metropolitan Water Distinct where my uncle worked. There was a clause in the life insurance policy that if he died at work it was double indemnity. My uncle showed up in the middle of the night and they shot him in the back of the head. Of course there is lots more to this true story.
And to this day I can not forget In Cold Blood, the movie.
Sorry for the rant this was supposed to be a book review.
David Putnam Author of the Bruno Johnson series.

APASIONANTE novela, prácticamente perfecta en su modo del que ella misma es precursora… o eso le gustaba pensar a su autor.

Se trata de un hecho real, de tal manera que sabemos que hay un crimen atroz, sabemos quiénes fueron las víctimas, sabemos quiénes fueron los autores de tales asesinatos, sabemos que fueron arrestados y hasta sabemos cuál fue su final, pero nada de ello nos arruina la tensión que Capote supo imprimir al relato, a todas y a cada una de las partes del relato.

n   “… los Clutter. Ninguno de ellos me había hecho ningún daño. Como la otra gente que sí me lo ha hecho. Como esa gente que me ha ido cayendo en suerte en la vida. Puede que a los Clutter les tocara pagar por todos ellos” n

No es de extrañar que el caso llamara la atención de dos escritores de la talla de Capote y Harper Lee (su ayuda en la recogida de información fue crucial dado el entorno del crimen y la homosexualidad y el carácter excéntrico del autor): Kansas, un estado en el conservador corazón de EE.UU.; Holcomb, un pueblo de apenas unos pocos edificios entre los que transcurre las vías de un tren que rara vez hace parada en la estación; una comunidad de vecinos, rancheros en su mayoría, gente próspera, tradicional, y conservadora (Truman los define como republicanos de extrema derecha); una familia formada por un respetable y acomodado matrimonio y sus dos hijos, buenos estudiantes, populares y queridos por todos; un lugar donde nadie cierra la puerta de casa, donde todos se ayudan en lo posible, todos miembros de alguna iglesia y temerosos de Dios; cuatro asesinatos sin sentido, crueles; un botín de apenas unas decenas de dólares.

n   “… aquella tranquila comunidad de buenos vecinos y amigos de toda la vida se vio de pronto enfrentada con la insólita experiencia de tener que desconfiar unos de otros” n

Capote reunió alrededor de 4000 folios con declaraciones de vecinos, de familiares, de la policía, de psicólogos, de los propios asesinos, sus confesiones, el relato de sus vidas, la transcripción de los interrogatorios y del juicio… y se retiró al pueblecito pesquero de Palamós, en la Costa Brava, para dar forma a la novela.

n   “Esa familia representaba todo cuanto la gente de por acá realmente valora y respeta. Y que una cosa así les haya podido suceder precisamente a ellos…, bueno, es como si nos dijeran que no existe Dios. Hace que la vida carezca de sentido” n

Aunque en un principio el propósito del autor era explorar los cambios que la tragedia había causado en una comunidad como la de Holcomb, Capote cambió el enfoque por completo tras los arrestos, siendo su nuevo objetivo comprender las razones que llevaron a Perry Smith y Richard Hickock a cometer hechos tan crueles e irracionales. Sin restar un ápice a la brutalidad del cuádruple crimen, como a otros muchos hechos relacionados con los asesinos, Capote indaga en la humanidad de estos, en sus vidas, en sus problemas, en su mentalidad, en su personalidad, dando vida a unos personajes literarios difíciles de olvidar, especialmente el contradictorio y complejo Perry Smith.

n   “¿Si siento lo que hice? Si te refieres a eso, la respuesta es no. No siento nada. Me gustaría poder decir lo contrario. Pero nada de ello me preocupa lo más mínimo. Media hora después de hacerlo, Dick hacía bromas y yo se las reía. Quizá no somos humanos. Soy lo bastante humano como para sentirlo por mí. Siento no poder salir de aquí cuando tú te vayas. Pero eso es todo… si los hubiera conocido bien, supongo que ahora sentiría algo muy distinto. No creo que pudiera vivir conmigo mismo. Pero tal como estaban las cosas, no fue muy diferente a disparar en una barraca de tiro al blanco” n

Como digo al principio, todas las partes son atrayentes, siendo el morbo, al que tan bien apela el autor, el que nos empuja impacientemente durante todo el relato: el morbo que nos suscita el retrato de aquellos que sabemos que van a morir, la descripción de sus últimos días, de sus últimos momentos; el morbo de seguir a los asesinos en su trayectoria delictiva, de meternos en su cabeza, de encontrar la clave, bien en su naturaleza, bien en su pasado, que explique su cruel comportamiento; el morbo de conocer la brutalidad de los hechos, los comportamientos de unos y otros; el morbo que se desprende de la persecución policial de unos asesinos que se creían a salvo; el morbo de asistir al momento justo en el que son atrapados y, en el interrogatorio, acusados; el morbo del juicio, tremendamente parcial; y, por último, el morbo de su final.

I thought to myself, do I need to write another review for one of the best true crime books ever written? And then I thought, yeah, you do. You’ve written reviews on terrible, stupid and boring books and a book this good, it definitely deserves another one. This is the best story about true crime that I have ever read. Hands down.

After painting a peaceful scene in the Midwest plains of America, evil makes it's presence felt. This is how the book starts and Truman Capote’s writing had my blood chilled and my heart sad for the victims.

It is about the murders in 1959 of the Clutter family at their farmhouse in Holcomb, Kansas. The four murders received a ton of media attention, as the motive was unclear. Two recently released convicts, seeking a fortune that did not exist, invade the Clutter family home, tie up the four family members present and leave no witnesses.

For the reader, Capote’s vision was gripping and his outtake on the crime was fantastic. His character study was almost a biography. The killers were still impulsive and cruel, but he got into their minds and made them seem more human.

Capote took an actual event, a gruesome crime, and used his writing to bring it to life. The sad truth is that if he had not written In Cold Blood, no one outside of Holcomb, Kansas would know who the Clutter family is or the killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. The murders and the execution effectively ended all of their lives but Truman Capote gave them all immortality in this amazing book.

In Cold Blood is a non-fiction recount about the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on a November night in 1959. Admittedly, I knew very little of the story prior to reading this book, as this took place well before my time, nearly 30 years before I was born. This is the first Capote book I’ve read and despite the somber subject, I found it to be an engaging read.

It’s impressive that Capote was able to reconstruct the story, background and investigation with the level of detail provided throughout the book. I felt like a thorough picture was painted of who the Clutter family was, as well as who the two murderers were. Troubled pasts and pent up resentments are no excuse for the horrific crime they committed, though it was interesting to rewind and see how the killers had reached this point. I was not unhappy to see justice ultimately served in this case.

I enjoyed Capote’s writing style in In Cold Blood, a leisurely build - initially two “separate” stories that undoubtedly, knowing the premise of the book, will intertwine at some point, and continue keep you engaged all along the way.

خواندن پرونده های جنایی یک چیزه و خواندن چنین کتابی کاملاً چیز دیگری. در پرونده فقط با جنایت فرد سر و کار داری ولی اینجا مجبوری خودش رو "ببینی". انسانی که بوده، هست
نه صرفاً حیوانی که یک خانواده چهار نفره رو تقریباً بدون هیچ دلیلی کشته و بعدش راجع بهش جک گفته و خندیده

زندگیش رو می خونی، نامه هاش، دیکشنری شخصیش برای اینکه از لغات سطح بالاتری استفاده کنه، هوش بالا، حسرت درس خوندن و کودکی تلخش

به فکر فرو میری که چقدر فاصله ست بین مردی که برای قربانیش چیزی روی زمین سرد پهن می کنه که اذیت نشه و همون مرد که گلوش رو می بره و با شاتگان کارش رو تموم می کنه
مردی که نمی گذاره شریکش به دختر جوان تجاوز کنه چون این کارو پست می دونه بعد همون دختر رو خودش می کشه

چطور هر دو در یک آدم جا می شن؟ چه موجودات عجیبی

کاپوتی داستان میگه، داستان یک جنایت، جوری که انگار هر لحظه حاضر بوده. میگن انقدر روی این پرونده وسواس فکری داشته که پیگیری می کنه و می نویستش. ولی من می گم بیشتر نسبت به شخصیت عجیب "پری اسمیت " وسواس فکری داشته. می خواسته کشفش کنه
این کتاب رو گوش کردم و چقدر از صداش لذت بردم، از لهجه ایالت های جنوبی آمریکا -جایی که این جنایت اتفاق افتاده- که همه چیز رو حتی واقعی تر کرد

۹۵.۱۱.۱۳

There is no doubting Truman Capote is a writer extraordinaire. For those of you who haven’t read this classic piece (I think I was the only person on this planet not to do so - oh, and Antoinette, Annie, Jonathan, Rebecca, Lori et al) – it’s really an excellent work of journalism. Capote spent six years researching the brutal murders of four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas back in 1959. During this time he got to know the two murderers Perry Smith and Dick Hickock.

One aspect of this work I really like is the fact Capote humanises these two characters. It is always so easy to label the likes of Perry Smith and Dick Hickock as monsters and be done with it. But, as heinous as their crimes are – and they are – they still have stories to tell. Capote manages to do this with a very fine brush, he strikes a balance of not being supportive and not being hostile to these two men. It is a fine example of objective storytelling.

On that, Capote does present this as a story. It could easily have been written as a gruesome piece of fiction. There is no need to describe the murders in this review, but for two guys to commit such acts just goes to show, these kinds walk amongst us.

In Cold Blood comes in at a relatively underweight 340 pages, but it reads like a morbidly obese 800-page chunkster. You know the type of book? Every page jam-packed with text, small font, each paragraph gorged with intricate detail. No skim reading here, as each word is important. If you are tired and want to ‘flick’ through a paragraph or two, you’ll be found out – GOTYA!! I did have to re-read some sections again.

The reasons I didn’t give this 5-stars are twofold:

1.tI am going to be stingier with my stars in 2022. I’ve been throwing around stars like a drunken sailor – thus devaluing the currency.

2.tThere were some sections of this book I found to be much too heavy going. Capote did go off on several historical tangents, these contained incredible detail – and sometimes, usually after a long day – I just thought ”Enough Already”. But it’s more me than Truman – perhaps I wasn’t up to his writing?

There is plenty here for one to go researching these murders, the Clutter family and the perpetrators. The physical descriptions of Smith and Hickock in this book are really accurate. There’s plenty of other details to cross reference too if you enjoy that sort of thing – and who doesn’t?

I did watch a Johnny Carson interview of Capote on YouTube yesterday where the latter explained that watching the hanging of the two murderers was enough to put anybody off Capital Punishment. Apparently it can take up to twenty minutes for the heart to stop beating. Gruesome stuff and this observation in no way mitigates the severity and brutality of the crimes that took place in Holcomb, Kansas back in 1959.

If you do take the time with this one, you will find out it’s worth it.

4 Stars (maybe a bit stingy but 2022 is the year of Miser Mark)