Writer Nelle Harper Lee passed away on Feb. 19th at 89 years old. In good basic health, her passing was unexpected. She died in her hometown of Monroeville, AL. There was a private funeral.
Friend of Lee’s, Cathy Randall said, “She was an Alabama treasure. She was an international treasure. We were all blessed by her life and her work as we are diminished by her passing.”
At Huntingdon College in Montgomery she focused on her studies and writing. In 1956, Lee quit her job to write full time.
In 8th grade all SHS students sat in English class and were told that they were reading “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It is a classic of American literature. Originally it was published in 1960.
This book is one of the most widely read pieces of fiction, for its handle on deep social issues of racism in the deep south. It was an immediate success, in 1961 the book won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
“Go Set a Watchman” is the sequel that was actually written before “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Lee said, “After much thought and hesitation, I shared it (“Go Set a Watchman”) with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication.”
The second book was set later in life, after everyone has grown up. It was published last year by HarperCollins.
Lee’s nephew Hank Conner said,”We knew her as Nelle Harper Lee, a loving member of our family, a devoted friend to the many good people who touched her life, and a generous soul in our community and our state.”
Writers, teachers, lawyers, and readers mourn the death of this stunning novelist.
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