Breakfast at Tiffany's

Truman Capote · 1924–1984 · United States

Why it matters

A café-society drifter named Holly Golightly charms and evades a Manhattan brownstone's other tenants while running from a past she won't name. Capote's glittering, melancholy novella made her an American archetype.

At a glance

Short, glossy prose and a simple frame narrative make this an easy entry point.