Condolences to her family.
RIP Harper Lee.
Taken from Barnes and Noble:
Harper Lee, literary giant and author of the beloved classic To Kill a Mockingbird, has passed away in Monroeville, Alabama, at the age of 89. Her death comes just seven months after the publication of Go Set a Watchman, which was set two decades after her Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece.
The Great American Novel
It’s almost impossible to overstate the importance of To Kill a Mockingbird to readers and, indeed, to our nation. There was, of course, the initial impact of a book that tackled issues of race, prejudice, and justice at a time when the Civil Rights movement was just gearing up—and that dealt with those issues thoughtfully and emotionally, from a place of simple human decency. Then, over the years, To Kill a Mockingbird became a touchstone for people everywhere, a fixture in our classrooms and our culture. Every year, a new generation of young readers is introduced to the simple beauty of Lee’s book. To Kill a Mockingbird becomes a favorite for most, and a shared cultural experience that links all of us. No one walks away from the novel without being changed—or, at the very least, provoked into thinking a little harder about the world. This is a book that has inspired legions to become lifelong readers, impassioned lawyers, and, simply, better people.
The Woman Behind the Name
Lee was born Nelle Harper Lee in 1926. She didn’t use her first name (which was her grandmother Ellen’s name backwards) professionally because she didn’t want people to call her “Nellie,” although people apparently did that all the time in Monroeville, Alabama, where Lee returned to live permanently several years ago after she suffered a stroke. The people of Monroeville adored Lee, and despite her resistance to the public life, residents told The New Yorker last year that Lee was “allergic to press, not people.”
Those who’ve read To Kill a Mockingbird—that is, nearly all of us—may be justified in feeling they know Harper Lee a little. The story draws on Lee’s own family and experiences growing up in Monroeville, and Scout Finch shares something in common with her creator, who described herself as a tomboy. One of the most moving aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird is this emotional honesty. It doesn’t matter that we never met Harper Lee, and knew so little about her; thanks to her novels, we know the way her mind works, and when we need inspiration or comfort we hear, in our souls and hearts, the wry, warm, curious voice of Scout Finch.
Just One Kind of Folks
In the end, Harper Lee was a brilliant writer who created a masterpiece, and then stepped back, turning down press requests and keeping herself to herself. Her writing will ultimately guarantee her a place in history, and her writing is peerless—Lee accomplished more with two books than most writers manage with fifty.
As Scout Finch says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” Every time we return to her work, Harper Lee helps us step outside ourselves and see the world from a new perspective. Although she is gone, her impact endures, her characters will keep inspiring us to do and be better, and her writing will live forever.
Harper Lee--A life in Pictures http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2016/feb/19/harper-lee-a-life-in-pictures
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Gregory Peck and Harper Lee on set of the film. They became friends and Peck’s grandson was named after her.
Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis
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