Truman Capote (1924–84,) originally Truman Streckfus Persons, was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. His works range from the light-hearted short novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958; film, 1961) to the grim and meticulous re-creation of a brutal multiple murder in In Cold Blood (1966; film, 1967.) The latter helped begin the true crime genre, in addition to the nonfiction novel.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Capote started writing short stories in his teens. He published his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948,) when he was just 24 years old. His early works defined many of the social conventions of the profoundly conservative post-war years through their sympathetic portrayal of characters generally deemed immoral or amoral.
Capote’s plays include House of Flowers (1954,) The Thanksgiving Visitor (1968,) and Trilogy: An Experiment in Multimedia (1969.) He also enhanced his reputation with his sarcastic journalism and shorter prose pieces, some of which appeared in the collections Then It All Came Down (1976) and Music for Chameleons (1980.)
Capote was a childhood friend of the novelist Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird (1960; film, 1962.) She worked as his assistant on his book In Cold Blood; their friendship was dramatized in the films Capote (2005) and Infamous (2006.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Truman Capote
Friendship is a pretty full-time occupation if you really are friendly with somebody. You can’t have too many friends because then you’re just not really friends.
—Truman Capote
Topics: Friendship
Past certain ages or certain wisdoms it is very difficult to look with wonder; it is best done when one is a child; after that, and if you are lucky, you will find a bridge of childhood and walk across it.
—Truman Capote
Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.
—Truman Capote
Topics: Authors & Writing
More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.
—Truman Capote
Topics: Prayer
Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.
—Truman Capote
Topics: Success, Adversity, Strength, Failure
To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.
—Truman Capote
Topics: Words, Authors & Writing, Writing
It is the want to know the end that makes us believe in God, or witchcraft, believe, at least, in something.
—Truman Capote
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