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Definition: Capote, Truman from Philip's Encyclopedia

US writer. His works, typified by keen social observation and characters on the fringes of society, include the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958), the novel The Grass Harp (1951) and volumes of shorter pieces such as Music for Chameleons (1980). Capote claimed that In Cold Blood (1966) was the first non-fiction novel.


Capote, Truman

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(käpō'tē), 1924–84, American author, b. New Orleans as Truman Streckfus Persons. During his lifetime, the witty, diminutive writer was a well-known public personage, hobnobbing with the rich and famous and frequently appearing in the popular media, before he lapsed into alcoholism in his final years. Capote's fiction reflects a private, imaginative world of narcissistic yet strangely innocent people. Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948), his first novel and a classic Southern Gothic, is the story of a young boy's painful search for identity. His other works include a gentle autobiographical novel, The Grass Harp (1951); a collection of short stories, Tree of Night (1949); the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958); a report of his trip to Russia with the cast of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess , The Muses Are Heard (1956); the musical House of Flowers (1954); and two collections of nonfiction pieces, The Dogs Bark (1973) and Music for Chameleons (1980). In 1966, Capote published his “nonfiction…
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Full text Article Capote, Truman

From Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature
An arresting personality and respected stylist, C. rose quickly in the world of American letters, producing his best work in the two decades following World War II. His work ranges from gothicism of Other Voices, Other Rooms ( 1948 ) to the meticulous reportage of In Cold Blood ( 1965 ). Most…
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Truman Capote (Courtesy of Nancy Crampton)
A master at blending fact and fiction, both in his writing and in his personal life, Truman Capote was born on September 30, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His childhood was difficult due his parents’ divorce, his mother’s decision to send Truman to live with relatives, and the son’s disconnection…
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Full text Article Truman Capote (1924–1984)

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
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Full text Article CITIES: VENICE

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
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Full text Article Capote

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary Full text Article Biographical Names
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Full text Article WRITING

From Collins Dictionary of Quotations
Inspiration is the act of drawing up a chair to the writing desk. Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. AUSTEN, Jane Mansfield Park (1814). He who does not know how to limit himself does not know how to write. BOILEAU-DESPRÉAUX, Nicolas L’Art Poétique (1674). …
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Full text Article A Christmas Memory

From The Christmas Encyclopedia
Classic autobiographical short story written by American author Truman Capote. First appearing in Mademoiselle magazine in 1956, the story recalls a special Christmas during the years when Capote lived with a family of distant elderly cousins in rural Alabama until the age of ten. Capote developed a…
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Full text Article One Christmas

From The Christmas Encyclopedia
Autobiographical short story written by American author Truman Capote. Portions were published in a 1982 issue of the Ladies’ Home Journal; the entire story was published in book form in 1983. When his parents divorce after a year of marriage, young Capote is placed with his mother's family in rural…
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Full text Article Capote, Truman

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born Sept. 30, 1924, New Orleans, La., U.S.—died Aug. 25, 1984, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. Capote spent much of his youth in small towns in Louisiana and Alabama. His early works, in the Southern Gothic tradition, include the novels Other Voices, Other…
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Full text Article Capote, Truman

From Encyclopedia of American Literature Full text Article Volume 4
Also known as: Truman Streckfus Persons (b. 1924–d. 1984) American novelist, short story writer, nonfiction writer I invented myself, and then I invented a world to fit me. —Interview with Gloria Steinem (1966?) Truman Capote's early novels— Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948) and The Grass Harp…
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