Truman Capote author page

Truman Capote biography

Truman Capote (1924–1984) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. He was born Truman Streckfus Persons on 30 September 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He began writing as a child and was publishing short stories in magazines by the 1940s. His early work included stories in Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle.

Capote’s first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948), established him as a major literary figure. His novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) was adapted into the celebrated 1961 film starring Audrey Hepburn.

His most influential work is In Cold Blood (1966), a pioneering example of the nonfiction novel that recounted the 1959 murder of a Kansas family. The book was serialised in The New Yorker before being published in full and became an international bestseller.

Capote also wrote plays, screenplays, essays and reportage, and was a noted public personality in American cultural life. He died on 25 August 1984 in Los Angeles, California.