Harper Lee: A Biography
Harper Lee, beloved American novelist, has one of the strangest writing careers in American history. To Kill a Mockingbird, which is said to be one of the greatest American novels, is the only book Lee would ever have published. Lee worked with her best friend Truman Capote, who would also grow up to be a famous writer, and stayed friends with him his whole life (Harper Lee.biography). She based her writing upon figures in her life, including Capote, and created a real life scenario in her book. To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee’s one and only novel, was based upon events she witness in her childhood.
Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Born to Amasa Coleman Lee (father) and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee (mother), Lee was the youngest of four children (Harper Lee). She had two sisters and one brother: Alice Lee (sister), Louise Lee (sister), and Edwin Lee (brother). As a child, her neighbor, schoolmate, and best friend was Truman Capote, another future author. Lee’s father Amasa was a lawyer. He served on the Alabama Legislature from 1927 to 1939. Lee graduated from Monroe County High School in 1944. After graduating, she enrolled in the all-female Huntingdon College in Montgomery (Harper Lee.biography). She was not very social there, and spent most of her time outside of classes studying and writing.
In 1945, Lee transferred to the University of Alabama. She tried being more social there, even joining a sorority. Pursuing her interest in writing, Lee contributed to the school’s newspaper and its humor magazine, the Rammer Jammer. She eventually became the editor of the Rammer Jammer. In her junior year, Lee was accepted into the university’s law school. This law school allowed students to work on earning a law degree while still being undergraduates. After being in the law program for one year, Lee realized that writing, not the law, was her true passion. She went to Oxford University in England during the summer as an exchange student. After returning in the fall, she continued her law studies, but dropped out after the first semester, never earning any degree. She soon moved to New York to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer (Harper Lee.biography).
Lee arrived in New York City in 1949 at the age of 43. Her dream was to become a great author, but that didn’t work out as planned. Instead of instantly writing a great novel, she struggled with her writing, whether it was not being able to come up with ideas, or not being able to complete a storyline. Needing some sort of income, she began working as a ticket agent for Eastern Airlines and for the British Overseas Air Corp (Harper Lee.biography). Lee reunited with an old friend, Truman Capote, and befriended a Broadway composer and lyricist Michael Martin Brown and his wife Joy (Harper Lee). In 1956, The Browns decided to support Lee for a year so she could write full time. Lee quit her job and found an agent, Maurice Crain. Lee wrote her first novel, and entitled it Go Set a Watchman. She soon changed the name to Atticus, and later to To Kill a Mockingbird. Crain was able to get a publishing firm interested in this novel, and working with editor Tay Hohoff, Lee finished the manuscript in 1959.
Soon after being published in July of 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird became a huge success. It was picked up by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Literary Guild. A smaller version of the story was published in the Reader’s Digest magazine (Harper Lee.biography). The book was based mainly upon people Lee had known as a child, and the events Lee witnessed in her hometown. The main character, a young girl name Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, was a lot like Lee herself. Another main character in the book, Atticus Finch, a lawyer and the father of Scout, was based upon Lee’s own father Amasa. Lee based another character, a young boy named Dill, on her good friend Truman Capote. These were people who greatly influenced her life, and she felt the need to bring them into her novel.
After To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee struggled with writing her next novel. She wrote a couple of magazine articles, but never had another book published (Harper Lee). This upset many people, since they loved Lee’s first book. Lee, however, said that she didn’t have the inspiration to write another book. She continued working with Capote, and on and off helped him write his book, In Cold Blood (Harper Lee.biography). During the 1970s and 1980s, Lee largely retreated from public life. She spent some of her time on a nonfiction book project entitled The Reverend. It was never published. Lee, now 85, lives a quiet life with her sister in New York. She is an active member in her church community, and rarely talks about her still popular “one-hit-wonder” book.
Lee never wrote another book after writing To Kill a Mockingbird. She started as a lawyer, wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps. However, Lee realized her true passion, and made it a reality. Though no other book was ever published under her name, Harper Lee is still widely known as being the great author who wrote the greatest American Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Born to Amasa Coleman Lee (father) and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee (mother), Lee was the youngest of four children (Harper Lee). She had two sisters and one brother: Alice Lee (sister), Louise Lee (sister), and Edwin Lee (brother). As a child, her neighbor, schoolmate, and best friend was Truman Capote, another future author. Lee’s father Amasa was a lawyer. He served on the Alabama Legislature from 1927 to 1939. Lee graduated from Monroe County High School in 1944. After graduating, she enrolled in the all-female Huntingdon College in Montgomery (Harper Lee.biography). She was not very social there, and spent most of her time outside of classes studying and writing.
In 1945, Lee transferred to the University of Alabama. She tried being more social there, even joining a sorority. Pursuing her interest in writing, Lee contributed to the school’s newspaper and its humor magazine, the Rammer Jammer. She eventually became the editor of the Rammer Jammer. In her junior year, Lee was accepted into the university’s law school. This law school allowed students to work on earning a law degree while still being undergraduates. After being in the law program for one year, Lee realized that writing, not the law, was her true passion. She went to Oxford University in England during the summer as an exchange student. After returning in the fall, she continued her law studies, but dropped out after the first semester, never earning any degree. She soon moved to New York to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer (Harper Lee.biography).
Lee arrived in New York City in 1949 at the age of 43. Her dream was to become a great author, but that didn’t work out as planned. Instead of instantly writing a great novel, she struggled with her writing, whether it was not being able to come up with ideas, or not being able to complete a storyline. Needing some sort of income, she began working as a ticket agent for Eastern Airlines and for the British Overseas Air Corp (Harper Lee.biography). Lee reunited with an old friend, Truman Capote, and befriended a Broadway composer and lyricist Michael Martin Brown and his wife Joy (Harper Lee). In 1956, The Browns decided to support Lee for a year so she could write full time. Lee quit her job and found an agent, Maurice Crain. Lee wrote her first novel, and entitled it Go Set a Watchman. She soon changed the name to Atticus, and later to To Kill a Mockingbird. Crain was able to get a publishing firm interested in this novel, and working with editor Tay Hohoff, Lee finished the manuscript in 1959.
Soon after being published in July of 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird became a huge success. It was picked up by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Literary Guild. A smaller version of the story was published in the Reader’s Digest magazine (Harper Lee.biography). The book was based mainly upon people Lee had known as a child, and the events Lee witnessed in her hometown. The main character, a young girl name Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, was a lot like Lee herself. Another main character in the book, Atticus Finch, a lawyer and the father of Scout, was based upon Lee’s own father Amasa. Lee based another character, a young boy named Dill, on her good friend Truman Capote. These were people who greatly influenced her life, and she felt the need to bring them into her novel.
After To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee struggled with writing her next novel. She wrote a couple of magazine articles, but never had another book published (Harper Lee). This upset many people, since they loved Lee’s first book. Lee, however, said that she didn’t have the inspiration to write another book. She continued working with Capote, and on and off helped him write his book, In Cold Blood (Harper Lee.biography). During the 1970s and 1980s, Lee largely retreated from public life. She spent some of her time on a nonfiction book project entitled The Reverend. It was never published. Lee, now 85, lives a quiet life with her sister in New York. She is an active member in her church community, and rarely talks about her still popular “one-hit-wonder” book.
Lee never wrote another book after writing To Kill a Mockingbird. She started as a lawyer, wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps. However, Lee realized her true passion, and made it a reality. Though no other book was ever published under her name, Harper Lee is still widely known as being the great author who wrote the greatest American Novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Work Cited
"Harper Lee.biography." Bio.True Story. Biography.com, 1996-2012. Web. 26-28 Mar. 2012.
http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021?.
"Harper Lee." NNDB. Soylent Communications, 2012. Web. 26-28 Mar. 2012.
http://www.nndb.com/people/572/000025497/.
http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021?.
"Harper Lee." NNDB. Soylent Communications, 2012. Web. 26-28 Mar. 2012.
http://www.nndb.com/people/572/000025497/.
Harper Lee