If you close your eyes and think of the name Holly Golightly, you probably see Audrey Hepburn. You see the black Givenchy dress. You see the oversized sunglasses and the long cigarette holder held with impossible grace against a backdrop of Manhattan dawn. But the truth about who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s takes us away from the polished glimmer of Hollywood and into the smoky, sharp-tongued world of Truman Capote.
He was a man of small stature and massive ego.
Capote didn't just write a story; he crafted a character that would eventually outgrow him, his intentions, and the very pages of the 1958 novella. Honestly, if you only know the film, you don't really know the story. The book is grittier. It’s lonelier. It is a masterpiece of American prose that almost didn't make it to the shelves because of its "provocative" nature.
The Man Behind the Mask: Truman Capote’s Masterpiece
Truman Capote was already a literary darling by the late 1950s. He had that rare mix of high-society access and a ruthless eye for detail. When he sat down to pen the novella, he wasn't looking to create a romantic comedy. He was looking to capture a specific type of "American geisha"—a woman living on her wits, her charm, and the loose change of wealthy men.
The prose in the book is lean. It’s surgical.
Capote’s Holly Golightly is nineteen years old. She’s a blonde. She’s a survivor from the dusty roads of Texas who reinvented herself in the concrete canyons of New York. While the world remembers Hepburn’s elegance, Capote’s original vision was much more frantic and untethered. He famously wanted Marilyn Monroe for the film role. He felt her "vague" quality and raw vulnerability matched the character he had birthed. When Paramount went with Hepburn, Capote was reportedly devastated, claiming the studio betrayed the spirit of his work.
But that’s the thing about iconic literature. Once it’s out there, the author loses control.
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Why the Author’s Vision Clashed With Hollywood
When we look at who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s, we have to look at the friction between the writer and the machine. Capote’s novella is told through the eyes of an unnamed narrator—often referred to as "Fred"—who is a struggling writer living in the same brownstone. In the book, there is no sweeping romantic ending in the rain. There is no swelling orchestral score that promises a happily-ever-after.
The book ends with a departure.
Holly disappears into the world, moving from New York to South America, still searching for a place where she and things belong. It’s a bittersweet, almost haunting conclusion about the impossibility of truly "owning" another person. Hollywood couldn't have that. They needed the kiss. They needed the cat. They needed the resolution.
George Axelrod, the screenwriter who adapted Capote’s work, had the unenviable task of turning a character study about a high-class drifter into a palatable romantic lead. He succeeded, obviously, but he created a version of Holly Golightly that Capote barely recognized. The author’s sharp, cynical edge was sanded down into a chic, whimsical charm.
The Real-Life Inspiration for Holly Golightly
Capote was a notorious gossip and a social climber of the highest order. He drew from his "swans"—the wealthy, beautiful socialites he befriended and eventually betrayed.
Several women claimed to be the "real" Holly:
- Dorian Leigh: One of the first supermodels, known for her chaotic personal life and striking looks.
- Gloria Vanderbilt: The heiress who had the pedigree and the public fascination that Capote loved.
- Carol Marcus: Who later married Walter Matthau and William Saroyan.
- Maeve Brennan: A writer for The New Yorker who lived in the same apartment building as Capote and had a penchant for leaving her door open.
Capote himself stayed coy, often saying Holly was a composite. She was a bit of everyone, including a bit of himself. Like Holly, Truman was a runaway from a difficult childhood who used wit and style to gain entry into rooms where he didn't "belong."
The Controversy That Nearly Killed the Book
It’s hard to imagine now, but Breakfast at Tiffany’s was almost censored out of existence. Capote originally sold the story to Harper’s Bazaar for $2,000. It was a lot of money back then. However, the publisher, Hearst Corporation, got cold feet. They didn't like the "language." They didn't like the fact that Holly’s "profession" was vaguely defined but clearly scandalous.
They killed the story.
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Capote, never one to be bullied, took the manuscript to Esquire. They published it in 1958, and it became an instant sensation. Critics praised the clarity of the writing. Norman Mailer once famously said that Truman Capote was the most perfect writer of his generation, noting that he wouldn't change a single word in the novella.
The book isn't just about a girl in New York. It’s about the post-war American dream and the cost of freedom. It’s about the fear of being "caged."
A Style That Defined an Era
When you read the words of the man who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s, you notice the rhythm. Capote used short, punchy sentences to convey action and long, flowing descriptions to convey mood. It’s a technical marvel.
"It’s better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear."
That’s pure Capote. It’s poetic but deeply sad. The movie gives us "Moon River," which is beautiful, but the book gives us the internal monologue of a woman who is terrified of staying still.
Capote’s writing style in this period was a bridge. He was moving away from the Southern Gothic style of his debut, Other Voices, Other Rooms, and toward the "non-fiction novel" style he would later perfect in In Cold Blood. You can see the observational prowess beginning to take over. He watches Holly Golightly like a scientist watches a rare specimen under a glass slide.
The Cultural Legacy of Truman’s Words
We have to talk about the "Tiffany’s" of it all. Before the book, Tiffany & Co. was a prestigious, somewhat stuffy jewelry store. Capote turned it into a sanctuary. He turned a retail space into a metaphor for safety.
"Nothing bad can happen to you there," Holly says.
That single line changed the brand forever. It gave the store a soul. It created a destination for millions of tourists who, to this day, stand outside the windows on Fifth Avenue with a coffee and a danish, trying to catch a spark of that Capote magic.
However, we can't discuss the legacy without acknowledging the darker parts of the adaptation. The character of Mr. Yunioshi, played by Mickey Rooney in the film, is a grotesque racial caricature that Capote actually didn't write that way. In the book, the character is a blink-and-you-miss-him neighbor. The film’s decision to turn him into a "comic" relief is a stain on an otherwise stylish production, and it’s a sharp departure from the more grounded, if cynical, reality of the novella.
How to Read Breakfast at Tiffany’s Today
If you’re going to dive into the world of the man who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s, you should do it with fresh eyes. Forget the poster on your dorm room wall. Forget the catchy tune.
Read it as a story about a girl who is running away from a life she hated and accidentally created a persona she can't escape. Read it for the way Capote describes the light in a New York apartment at 4:00 AM.
The novella is short—hardly 100 pages—but it carries more weight than most 500-page novels. It’s a lesson in economy. Every word earns its keep.
Key Differences Between the Book and the Movie
- The Ending: The book is open-ended and melancholy; the movie is a rom-com finale.
- The Narrator: "Fred" in the book is likely a closeted gay man (much like Capote), making his obsession with Holly platonic and complex. In the movie, he’s a traditional leading man and love interest.
- Holly’s Age: She’s much younger and more "raw" in the book.
- The Cat: The cat’s abandonment in the book is a gut-punch moment of self-realization, not just a dramatic beat for a reunion.
Truman Capote eventually fell out of favor with the high society he wrote about. His unfinished novel, Answered Prayers, was a "tell-all" that got him exiled from the world of the "swans." He died in 1984, but Holly Golightly lived on. She became a ghost that haunted his career—the girl who was too big for the page.
Your Next Steps for Exploring the World of Truman Capote
If you want to truly understand the genius of the man who wrote this iconic story, don't stop at the novella. The transition from fiction to reality in Capote's career is fascinating and provides a deeper context for his work.
- Read the original novella: Grab a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories. It includes "House of Flowers," "A Diamond Guitar," and "A Christmas Memory," which show the breadth of his talent.
- Watch the 2005 film "Capote": Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance gives you a chilling look at the man’s psyche during his next major project.
- Compare the "swans": Look up the photography of Richard Avedon from the 1950s. You'll see the faces that Truman was looking at when he imagined Holly’s world.
- Visit the New York Public Library: They often hold archives of Capote's manuscripts, where you can see his handwritten edits and the evolution of his dialogue.
Understanding who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s isn't just a trivia fact. It's an entry point into a specific era of American literature where the lines between the author's life and their fiction were blurred beyond recognition. Capote gave us a dream of New York that was equal parts glitter and grit—a dream that, for better or worse, we still haven't woken up from.