Harper Lee
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Brief Biography
Harper Lee was a native of Monroeville, Alabama. She grew up alongside Truman Capote, and their close bond influenced her later writing. Although Lee attended Huntingdon College and the University of Alabama's law school, she left both institutions before obtaining a degree. She relocated to New York, working as an airline reservation clerk while pursuing her writing career. With financial support from friends, Lee dedicated herself fully to writing and produced her iconic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which drew inspiration from her hometown and people in her life. The book earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and was adapted into a film in 1962. Lee also assisted Capote in researching his book In Cold Blood. While Lee published essays in the 1960s, it wasn't until 2015 that an early draft of her first novel, titled Go Set a Watchman, was released. Harper Lee passed away in 2016.
Publications
To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia; Lippincott, 1960.
Go Set a Watchman. New York; Harper, 2015.
Go Set a Watchman. New York; Harper, 2015.
Themes
Harper Lee is predominantly remembered for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird. It explores the dimensions of prejudice and love from a young girl's perspective while insightfully describing small-town Alabama life.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Lee, Harper, “Harper Lee,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 20, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/627.