Truman Streckfus Persons

Born: 30 September 1924
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
Died: 25 August 1984

The author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s
(1958) and In Cold Blood (1966), Truman
Capote was a successful writer whose
flamboyant public persona sometimes
overshadowed his literary reputation.
He spent most of his early years in
Monroeville, Alabama, then moved to New
York City in 1933. Capote dropped out of
school and went to work in the offices of
The New Yorker while writing stories for
other publications. His first novel, Other
Voices, Other Rooms (1948), was a
critical hit and Capote quickly became a
star among New York’s literati. During
the 1960s he enjoyed both literary
success and regular media attention,
earning a reputation as a gossipmongering
partygoer with a quick and
barbed wit. The international success
of In Cold Blood furthered his celebrity
and made him rich. Capote became
a familiar face on TV (especially on
Johnny Carson’s show), instantly
recognized for his diminutive frame
and languid, lisping speech. By the end
of the 1970s his health deteriorated
due to alcohol and drug abuse, and
he had worn out his welcome as the
enfant terrible of New York’s elite.
.
Capote wrote essays, novels, stories
and screenplays, and adapted
some of his works for television
and the stage. His books
include The Grass Harp (1951),
The Muses Are Heard (1956)
and Music For Chameleons
(1980).