Contents
Truman Capote
Writing Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood.
Literary journalism · Southern fiction
- Born
- 30 September 1924
- Birthplace
- New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
- Died
- 25 August 1984
More people
Truman Capote
Truman Capote was an American writer whose work moved from lyrical fiction to a highly shaped account of a real murder case. His distinctive prose and public persona made him prominent in both literary and social life.
Early life
Alabama childhood
Spent formative years with relatives in Monroeville and befriended Harper Lee.
New York adolescence
Moved to New York and began pursuing writing while still young.
Career
- 1940s
Early publications
Worked at The New Yorker and placed stories in magazines.
- 1948–1958
Fiction career
Published novels, stories and the novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
- 1959–1966
Kansas reporting
Investigated the Clutter family murders with assistance from Harper Lee.
- 1970s
Later writing
Published pieces from an unfinished novel that damaged several friendships.
Selected work
Other Voices, Other Rooms
A Southern Gothic novel about identity and isolation.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
A narrator recalls the elusive Holly Golightly.
In Cold Blood
Reconstructs a murder, investigation and executions through novelistic techniques.
Beyond work
Harper Lee
A childhood friend who helped him establish trust during his Kansas research.
Public society
Moved within New York’s social elite, whose lives also became material for his writing.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Jack Mitchell. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
