A Christmas Memory

Born Truman Streckfus Persons in 1924 (he later adopted the last name “Capote” from his stepfather), Truman Capote experienced a turbulent childhood as a result of his parents’ divorce and the ensuing custody battle; this feud left Capote (in his own words) “stranded” with relatives in Monroeville, Alabama, for much of his childhood (“A Thanksgiving Visitor.” Modern Library, 2007, p. 60). In Monroeville, Capote was a childhood friend of American author Harper Lee, who based the character of “Dill” in To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) on Capote. A precocious talent, Capote published short stories in leading American magazines as a teenager and won accolades for his early novels Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948) and The Grass Harp (1951). Capote achieved national fame with Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) and his pioneering work of true-crime journalism, In Cold Blood (1965). A prominent figure in New York’s elite social and artistic circles, during his lifetime Capote was as famous for his eccentric mannerisms and high-society scandals as for his literary talents; his decision to live openly as a gay man attracted further media attention. Capote died in Los Angeles in 1984, but he is widely remembered as a gifted