Truman Capote was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays are recognized as literary classics. He is considered one of the founders of New Journalism, alongside notable writers such as Gay Talese, Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe.

Truman was born as Truman Streckfus Persons and had a troubled childhood due to his parents' divorce, a long absence from his mother, and multiple relocations. Despite these challenges, he aspired to become a writer from the age of eight and polished his writing skills throughout his youth. His professional career began with writing short stories, gaining attention with the critical success of "Miriam" (1945). This success led to a contract with Random House to write the novel Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948).

He achieved widespread acclaim for the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958), centered on a fictional New York café society girl, Holly Golightly. Capote is also renowned for his nonfiction novel In Cold Blood (1966), a journalistic investigation of a Kansas farm family's murder, written with the assistance of his lifelong friend Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Capote's life and works have been adapted into over 20 films and television productions. However, his later years were marred by emotional crises and substance abuse, leading to his death in 1984.