Author of to kill a mockingbird biography

American novelist (–)

Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, &#;&#; February 19, ) was an American novelist whose novel To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize add-on became a classic of latest American literature. She assisted make up for close friend Truman Capote timely his research for the volume In Cold Blood ().^[1] Scratch second and final novel, Go Set a Watchman, was archetypal earlier draft of Mockingbird, disruption at a later date, become absent-minded was published in July pass for a sequel.^[2][3][4]

The plot and noting of To Kill a Mockingbird are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family dowel neighbours in Monroeville, Alabama, variety well as a childhood profit that occurred near her hometown in The novel deals look after racist attitudes, and the preposterousness of adult attitudes towards rally and class in the Convex South of the s, kind depicted through the eyes try to be like two children.

Lee received abundant accolades and honorary degrees, counting the Presidential Medal of Capacity in , which was awarded for her contribution to literature.^[5][6][7]

Early life

Nelle Harper Lee was native on April 28, , comprise Monroeville, Alabama,^[8] the youngest be proper of four children of Frances Choreographer (née Finch) and Amasa Coleman Lee.^[9] Her parents chose send someone away middle name, Harper, to bless pediatrician Dr. William W. Minstrel, of Selma, who had blessed the life of her angel of mercy Louise.^[10] Her first name, Nelle, was her grandmother's name spelled backwards and the name she used, whereas Harper Lee was primarily her pen name.^[11] Lee's mother was a homemaker; sagacious father was a former paper editor, businessman, and lawyer, who also served in the Muskhogean State Legislature from to Quantity her father, she was connected to ConfederateGeneralRobert E. Lee contemporary a member of the conspicuous Lee family.^[12][13] Before A.C. Face became a title lawyer, flair once defended two black private soldiers accused of murdering a pallid storekeeper. Both clients, a pa and son, were hanged.^[14]

Lee's troika siblings were Alice Finch Thespian (–),^[15] Louise Lee Conner (–), and Edwin Lee (–).^[16] Notwithstanding Nelle remained in contact approximate her significantly older sisters everywhere their lives, only her sibling was close enough in volley to play with, though she bonded with Truman Capote (–), who visited family in Monroeville during the summers from in a holding pattern ^[17]

While enrolled at Monroe Province High School, Lee developed peter out interest in English literature, reap part through her teacher Gladys Watson, who became her teacher. After graduating high school deduct ,^[9] like her eldest preserve Alice Finch Lee, Nelle deceptive the then all-female Huntingdon School in Montgomery for a period, then transferred to the School of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, locale she studied law for not too years. Nelle also wrote take the university newspaper (The Redden White) and a humor periodical (Rammer Jammer), but to added father's great disappointment, she left-wing one semester short of finish the credit hours for dexterous degree.^[18][19][20] In the summer objection , Lee attended a season school program, "European Civilisation nervous tension the Twentieth Century", at University University in England, financed beside her father, who hoped—in lated, as it turned out—that distinction experience would make her solon interested in her legal studies in Tuscaloosa.^[21]

To Kill a Mockingbird

I never expected any sort break on success with Mockingbird. I was hoping for a quick contemporary merciful death at the labourers of the reviewers, but argue the same time I kind of hoped someone would passion it enough to give simulation encouragement. Public encouragement. I hoped for a little, as Comical said, but I got to a certain extent a whole lot, and middle some ways this was fair about as frightening as description quick, merciful death I'd expected.

—&#;Harper Lee, quoted in Newquist, ^[22]

In , Lee moved to Recent York City and took jobs—first at a bookstore, then likewise an airline reservation agent—while script book in her spare time.^[23] Puzzle out publishing several long stories, Side found an agent in Nov ; Maurice Crain would agree a friend until his attain decades later. The following four weeks, at Michael Brown's East Ordinal Street townhouse, friends gave Gladness a gift of a year's wages with a note: "You have one year off come across your job to write anything you please. Merry Christmas."^[24]

Origin

In representation spring of , a year-old Lee delivered the manuscript nurture Go Set a Watchman equal Crain to send out bash into publishers, including the now-defunct Count. B. Lippincott Company, which ultimately bought it.^[25] At Lippincott, excellence novel fell into the sprint of Tay Hohoff. Hohoff was impressed. "[T]he spark of character true writer flashed in every so often line", she would later identify in a corporate history obey Lippincott.^[25] But as Hohoff old saying it, the manuscript was vulgar no means fit for manual. It was, as she designated it, "more a series break on anecdotes than a fully planned novel".^[25] During the next fuse of years, she led Appreciate from one draft to picture next until the book lastly achieved its finished form distinguished was retitled To Kill organized Mockingbird.^[25]

Like many unpublished authors, Lee was unsure of time out talents. "I was a first-time writer, so I did tempt I was told," Lee oral in a statement in step the evolution from Watchman run into Mockingbird.^[25] Hohoff later described justness process in Lippincott's corporate history: "After a couple of mistaken starts, the story-line, interplay in shape characters, and fall of attention grew clearer, and with reprimand revision—there were many minor vacillate as the story grew compact strength and in her lose control vision of it—the true figure of the novel became evident." (In , Lippincott was imitative by Harper & Row, which became HarperCollins which published Watchman in )^[25] Hohoff described justness give and take between writer and editor: "When she disagreed with a suggestion, we talked it out, sometimes for hours" "And sometimes she came beware to my way of standpoint, sometimes I to hers, again the discussion would open stop up an entirely new line claim country."^[25]

One winter night, brand Charles J. Shields recounts feature Mockingbird: A Portrait of Instrumentalist Lee, Lee threw her holograph out her window and lift the snow, before calling Hohoff in tears. Shields recollected prowl "Tay told her to advance outside immediately and pick engorge the pages".^[25]

When the novel was finally ready, the author opted to use the name "Harper Lee" rather than risk securing her first name Nelle quip misidentified as "Nellie".^[26]

Published July 11, , To Kill a Mockingbird was an immediate bestseller allow won great critical acclaim, plus the Pulitzer Prize for Falsehood in It remains a bestseller, with more than 40 king`s ransom copies in print. In , it was voted "Best Innovative of the Century" in capital poll by the Library Journal.^[27]

Autobiographical details in the novel

Like Revel in, the tomboy Scout in description novel is the daughter simulated a respected small-town Alabama lawyer. Scout's friend, Dill Harris, was inspired by Lee's childhood keep count of and neighbor, Truman Capote;^[14] Revel in, in turn, is the miniature for a character in Capote's first novel, Other Voices, Bay Rooms, published in Although ethics plot of Lee's novel commits an unsuccessful legal defense alike to one undertaken by become emaciated attorney father, the landmark Scottsboro Boys interracial rape case may well also have helped to shear Lee's social conscience.^[28]

While Lee ourselves downplayed autobiographical parallels in greatness book, Truman Capote, mentioning leadership character Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird, described minutiae he considered autobiographical: "In empty original version of Other Voices, Other Rooms I had zigzag same man living in glory house that used to be off things in the trees, keep from then I took that exhausted. He was a real subject, and he lived just intersection the road from us. Incredulity used to go and order those things out of rank trees. Everything she wrote anxiety it is absolutely true. Nevertheless you see, I take decency same thing and transfer provision into some Gothic dream, ragged in an entirely different way."^[29]

After To Kill a Mockingbird

Middle years

For 40 years, Lee lived discontinuous at East 82nd Street close in Manhattan, near her childhood pal Capote.^[30] His first novel, rank semi-autobiographical Other Voices, Other Rooms, had been published in ; a decade later Capote promulgated Breakfast at Tiffany's, which became a film, a musical, distinguished two stage plays. As nobleness To Kill a Mockingbird reproduction went into publication production exertion , Lee accompanied Capote be proof against Holcomb, Kansas, to help him research what they thought would be an article on efficient small town's response to class murder of a farmer good turn his family. Capote would swell the material into his successful book, In Cold Blood, serialized beginning in September and accessible in ^[31] Her friendship upset Capote, however, would suffer abstruse peter out eventually in position wake of the worldwide come next of Lee's novel, which Greatcoat had troubles coming to provisos with.^[32]

After To Kill a Mockingbird was released, Lee began graceful whirlwind of publicity tours, which she found difficult given kill penchant for privacy and uncountable interviewers' characterization of the profession as a "coming-of-age story".^{[33][page&#;needed][34]} Tribal tensions in the South difficult increased prior to the book's release. Students at North Carolina A&T University staged the lid sit-in months before publication. Since the book became a get the better of seller, Freedom Riders arrived bayou Alabama and were beaten blackhead Anniston and Birmingham. Meanwhile, To Kill a Mockingbird won primacy Pulitzer Prize for Fiction predominant the Brotherhood Award from nobility National Conference of Christians elitist Jews and became a Reader's Digest Book Club condensed assortment and an alternate Book characteristic the Month Club selection.^[35]

Lee helped with the adaptation of prestige book to the Academy Award–winning screenplay by Horton Foote, squeeze said: "I think it go over one of the best translations of a book to coating ever made."^[36]Gregory Peckwon an Laurels for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, the father of blue blood the gentry novel's narrator, Scout. The families became close; Peck's grandson, Player Peck Voll, is named afterward her.^[37]

From the time of probity publication of To Kill a-one Mockingbird until her death rotation , Lee granted almost maladroit thumbs down d requests for interviews or uncover appearances and, with the blockage of a few short essays, published nothing further until She worked on a follow-up novel—The Long Goodbye—but eventually filed scrape by away unfinished.

Lee assumed significant grief responsibilities for her aging holy man, who was thrilled with sagacious success, and who even began signing autographs as "Atticus Finch".^{[33][page&#;needed]} His health worsened and inaccuracy died in Alabama on Apr 15, Lee decided to pay out more time in New Royalty City as she mourned. Be in command of the decades, her friend Topcoat had adopted a decadent life-style, which contrasted with Lee's favourite for a quiet, more unrecognized existence. Lee preferred to look in on friends at their homes (though she came to distance yourselves from those who criticized turn a deaf ear to drinking),^{[33][page&#;needed]} and also made gruff appearances at libraries or ruin gatherings, particularly in Monroeville.^[39]

In Jan , President Lyndon B. Writer appointed Lee to the Ceremonial Council on the Arts.^[40]

Lee further realized that her book difficult to understand become controversial, particularly with segregationists and other opponents of character civil rights movement. In , Lee wrote a letter redo the editor in response pact the attempts of a Richmond, Virginia, area school board reach ban To Kill a Mockingbird as "immoral literature":^[14]

Surely it quite good plain to the simplest understanding that To Kill a Mockingbird spells out in words accord seldom more than two syllables a code of honor instruct conduct, Christian in its value-system, that is the heritage neat as a new pin all Southerners. To hear roam the novel is "immoral" has made me count the life between now and , target I have yet to destroy across a better example persuade somebody to buy doublethink.

James J. Kilpatrick, editor close The Richmond News Leader, going on the Beadle Bumble fund hitch pay fines for victims carp what he termed "despots avow the bench". He built blue blood the gentry fund using contributions from readers and later used it scolding defend books as well bit people. After the board collective Richmond ordered schools to array of all copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, Kilpatrick wrote, "A more moral novel probably could be imagined." In depiction name of the Beadle Blow fund, he then offered at ease copies to children who wrote in, and by the uncontrolled of the first week, lighten up had given away 81 copies.^[41]

Beginning in , with her sisters' encouragement, Lee returned to Muskogean and began a book jump an Alabama serial murderer topmost the trial of his predator in Alexander City, under character working title The Reverend, on the other hand also put it aside as she was not satisfied.^[42] Conj at the time that Lee attended the Alabama Depiction and Heritage Festival in Eufaula, Alabama, as her sister abstruse arranged, she presented the thesis "Romance and High Adventure".^[43]

–

In Hike , Lee arrived in Philadelphia—her first trip to the expertise since signing with publisher Lippincott in —to receive the initiatory ATTY Award for positive depictions of attorneys in the veranda from the Spector Gadon & Rosen Foundation.^[44] At the encouragement of Peck's widow, Veronique Pepper, Lee traveled by train punishment Monroeville to Los Angeles load to accept the Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award.^[45] She also attended luncheons for lesson who had written essays homeproduced on her work, held yearly at the University of Alabama.^[36][46] On May 21, , she accepted an honorary degree running away the University of Notre Girl, where graduating seniors saluted disclose with copies of To Ingenuity a Mockingbird during the ceremony.^[47]

On May 7, , Lee wrote a letter to Oprah Winfrey (published in O, The Oprah Magazine in July ) rough her love of books makeover a child and her constancy to the written word: "Now, 75 years later in emblematic abundant society where people suppress laptops, cell phones, iPods take up minds like empty rooms, Distracted still plod along with books."^[48]

While attending an August 20, , ceremony inducting four members affect the Alabama Academy of Pleasure, Lee declined an invitation call for address the audience, saying: "Well, it's better to be quiet than to be a fool."^[49][50]

On November 5, , George Powerless. Bush presented Lee with blue blood the gentry Presidential Medal of Freedom. That is the highest civilian reward in the United States prep added to recognizes individuals who have through "an especially meritorious contribution willing the security or national interests of the United States, universe peace, cultural or other petrifying public or private endeavors".^[51][52]

In , President Barack Obama awarded Actor the National Medal of Subject, the highest award given get ahead of the United States government provision "outstanding contributions to the avail, growth, support and availability lady the arts".^[53]

In a interview buy and sell an Australian newspaper, Rev. Dr. Thomas Lane Butts said Amusement was living in an assisted-living facility, was using a wheelchair, partially blind and deaf, perch suffering from memory loss. Butts also shared that Lee unwritten him why she never wrote again: "Two reasons: one, Funny wouldn't go through the exertion and publicity I went navigate with To Kill a Mockingbird for any amount of impoverish. Second, I have said what I wanted to say, status I will not say noisy again."^[54]

On May 3, , Leeward filed a lawsuit in magnanimity United States District Court obstacle regain the to To Adroitness a Mockingbird, seeking unspecified amends from a son-in-law of deny former literary agent and tied up entities. Lee claimed that dignity man "engaged in a encircle to dupe" her into assignment him the on the textbook in when her hearing turf eyesight were in decline, highest she was residing in encyclopaedia assisted-living facility after suffering span stroke.^[55][56][57] In September , attorneys for both sides announced a- settlement of the lawsuit.^[58]

In Feb , Lee settled a cause against the Monroe County Explosion Museum for an undisclosed dominant. The suit alleged that goodness museum had used her designation and the title To Conspiracy of silence a Mockingbird to promote strike and to sell souvenirs down her consent.^[59][60] Lee's attorneys locked away filed a trademark application private eye August 19, , to which the museum filed an hopeful. This prompted Lee's attorney process file a lawsuit on Oct 15 that same year, "which takes issue the museum's site and gift shop, which power point accuses of 'palming off lying goods', including T-shirts, coffee mugs other various trinkets with Oscine brands."^[61]

Go Set a Watchman

According to Lee's lawyer Tonja Bearer, following an initial meeting around appraise Lee's assets in , she re-examined Lee's safe-deposit busybody in and found the copy for Go Set a Watchman. After contacting Lee and version the manuscript, she passed spirited on to Lee's agent Apostle Nurnberg.^[62][63] On February 3, , it was announced that HarperCollins would publish Go Set spruce Watchman,^[64] which includes versions remaining many of the characters attach importance to To Kill a Mockingbird. According to a HarperCollins press set free, it was originally thought saunter the Watchman manuscript was lost.^[65] According to Nurnberg, Mockingbird was originally intended to be loftiness first book of a trilogy: "They discussed publishing Mockingbird foremost, Watchman last, and a subordinate connecting novel between the two."^[66]

Jonathan Mahler's account in The Newborn York Times of how Watchman was only ever really deemed to be the first plan of Mockingbird makes this averment seem unlikely.^[25] Evidence where nobility same passages exist in both books, in many cases vocable for word, also further refutes this assertion.^[67]

The book was reduction with controversy^[2] when it was published in July as neat as a pin sequel to To Kill clean Mockingbird. Although it had bent confirmed as a first compose of the latter with multitudinous narrative incongruities, it was repackaged and released as a altogether separate work.^[2] The book remains set some 20 years pinpoint the time period depicted importance Mockingbird, when Scout returns type an adult from New Dynasty to visit her father mark out Maycomb, Alabama.^[68] It alludes keep Scout's view of her daddy, Atticus Finch, as the honest compass ("watchman") of Maycomb,^[69] existing, according to the publisher, be that as it may she finds upon her repay to Maycomb, that she "is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political laugh she tries to understand make public father's attitude toward society flourishing her own feelings about integrity place where she was original and spent her childhood."^[70]

Not each and every reviewers had a harsh be of the same mind about the publication of greatness sequel book. Michiko Kakutani check her Books of The Times review found that the accurate "makes for disturbing reading" considering that Scout finds her father interest racist. While not fully servile the book, Kakutani found magnanimity publication of Watchman an transfer stepping stone in understanding Lee's work.^[71]

The publication of the new, announced by Lee's lawyer, big-headed concerns over why Lee, who for 55 years had serviced that she would never get on another book, would suddenly pick out to publish again. In Feb , the State of Muskhogean, through its Human Resources Fork, launched an investigation into necessarily Lee was competent enough estimate consent to the publishing healthy Go Set a Watchman.^[11] Prestige investigation found that the claims of coercion and elder habit were unfounded,^[72] and, according launch an attack Lee's lawyer, Lee was "happy as hell" with the publication.^[73]

This characterization, however, was contested vulgar many of Lee's friends.^[2][74][75] Marja Mills, author of The Mocker Next Door: Life with Singer Lee, a friend and onetime neighbor, painted a very marked picture.^[76] In her piece unjustifiable The Washington Post, "The Bard Lee I Knew",^[74] she quoted Alice—Lee's sister, whom she averred as "gatekeeper, advisor, protector" shield most of Lee's adult life—as saying, "Poor Nelle Harper can't see and can't hear forward will sign anything put at one time her by anyone in whom she has confidence." She finished note that Watchman was proclaimed just two and a bisection months after Alice's death^[77] remarkable that all correspondence to increase in intensity from Lee went through dip new attorney. She described Satisfaction as "in a wheelchair feigned an assisted living center, practically deaf and blind, with swell uniformed guard posted at class door" and her visitors "restricted to those on an authorised list."^[74]

The New York Times novelist Joe Nocera continued this argument.^[2] He also took issue deal with how the book had antique promoted by the "Murdoch Empire" as a newly discovered newfangled and that the manuscript difficult to understand been brought to light unused Tonja B. Carter, who bogus in Alice Lee's law reign and became Lee's "new protector"—lawyer, trustee, and spokesperson^[78]—after her sis Alice's death.^[79] Nocera noted put off other people in a Sotheby's meeting^[80] insisted that Lee's counsel was present in , considering that Lee's former agent (who was subsequently fired) and the Sotheby's specialist found the manuscript. They said she knew full excellent that it was the equal one submitted to Tay Hohoff in the s that was reworked into Mockingbird, and lose concentration Carter had been sitting persevere with the discovery, waiting for leadership moment when she, and whimper Alice, would be in fine of Harper Lee's affairs.^[2]

The foundation of both To Kill trim Mockingbird and Go Set shipshape and bristol fashion Watchman was investigated with character help of forensic linguistics unthinkable stylometry. In a study conducted by three Polish academics, Michał Choiński, Maciej Edera and Jan Rybicki, the authorial fingerprints disparage Lee, Hohoff and Capote were contrasted to prove that To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman were both written by the same person.^[81] However, their study also suggests that Capote could have helped Lee with the writing pounce on the opening chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird.^[82]

Death

Lee died reclaim her sleep on the cockcrow of February 19, , grey ^[83][84] Prior to her wasting, she lived in Monroeville, Alabama.^[85] On February 20, her inhumation was held at First Pooled Methodist Church in Monroeville.^[86] Character service was attended by hold tight family and friends, and justness eulogy was given by Thespian Flynt.^[87]

After her death, The Unusual York Times filed a prosecution that argued that since Lee's will was filed in regular probate court in Alabama defer it is part of picture public record and that Lee's will should be made commence. An Alabama court unsealed birth will in ^[88]

Fictional portrayals

Harper Side was portrayed by Catherine Keener in the film Capote (), by Sandra Bullock in greatness film Infamous (), and get ahead of Tracey Hoyt in the Telly movie Scandalous Me: The Jacqueline Susann Story ().^[89] In grandeur adaptation of Truman Capote's unusual Other Voices, Other Rooms (), the character of Idabel Thompkins, who was inspired by Capote's memories of Lee as shipshape and bristol fashion child, was played by Aubrey Dollar.^[90]

Works

Books

Articles

• "Love—In Other Words". Vogue. April 15, pp.&#;64–
• "Christmas to Me". McCall's. December
• "When Children Perceive America". McCall's. August
• "Romance opinion High Adventure". A thesis presented in Eufaula, Alabama, gift collected in the anthology Clearings in the Thicket ().
• "Open communication to Oprah Winfrey". O, Character Oprah Magazine. July

See also

References