Breakfast at Tiffany's (novella) debt to Christopher Isherwood, one of his mentors, in creating the character of Holly Golightly: ""Breakfast at Tiffany's" is in many ways Capote's personal crystallization of Isherwood's Sally Bowles." Truman Capote's aunt, Marie Rudisill notes that Holly is a kindred spirit of Miss Lily Jane Bobbit, the central character of his short story "Children on Their Birthdays". She observes that both characters are "unattached, unconventional wanderers, dreamers in pursuit of some ideal of happiness." Capote himself acknowledged that Golightly was the favorite of his characters. The novella's prose style prompted Norman Mailer to call Capote "the most perfect writer of
Truman Capote main character said to be based on a mixture of Truman Capote himself and the serial killer victim Herbert Clutter (on whom "In Cold Blood" was based), meets up with a Lady Ina Coolbirth on a New York City street. This woman, who is described as "an American married to a British chemicals tycoon and a lot of woman in every way", is widely rumoured to be based on New York socialite Slim Keith. Lady Ina Coolbirth invites Jonesy to lunch at La Côte Basque. A gossipy tale of New York's elite ensues. The characters of Gloria Vanderbilt and Carol