Contents
Harper Lee
Writing To Kill a Mockingbird.
To Kill a Mockingbird · Go Set a Watchman
- Born
- 28 April 1926
- Birthplace
- Monroeville, Alabama, United States
- Died
- 19 February 2016
More people
Harper Lee
Harper Lee was an American novelist whose best-known book examines racial injustice through a child’s view of an Alabama town. Its success was followed by decades of relative withdrawal from publicity.
Early life
Alabama childhood
Her father was a lawyer; childhood friend Truman Capote lived nearby.
Law studies
Attended the University of Alabama before leaving without a degree.
Career
- 1949
Move to New York
Worked in airline reservations while writing.
- 1950s
Manuscript development
Financial help from friends gave her time to concentrate on fiction.
- 1960 onwards
Literary success
To Kill a Mockingbird brought international readership and a Pulitzer Prize.
Selected work
To Kill a Mockingbird
Scout Finch observes her father defend a Black man falsely accused of rape.
Go Set a Watchman
An earlier manuscript was published decades after her celebrated novel.
Beyond work
Research assistance
Helped Truman Capote research the Kansas murders behind In Cold Blood.
Private life
Declined most interviews and public appearances after her early success.
Sources & photo credit
Biography ↗Life and work ↗Photo: Photo credited to Truman Capote .. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
.jpg){kind=link}