Harper Lee passed away on Friday in the small Southern town where she was raised. She was 89. She’d never married or had children, but . . .
- her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, so far
- that novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961
- the novel continues to be assigned reading for many school children
- her novel was made into a movie which was nominated for 8 Academy Awards in 1963 and won 3, for actor Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch, his favorite role), for Texas-born writer Horton Foote for Best Adapted Screenplay, and for Best Art/Set Direction for a B&W film
- because of her novel’s influence, Harper Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 by President Bush
- her novel has inspired generations of young people–white and black–to pursue careers in law, journalism and literature
Last July a second Harper Lee novel was published. Go Set a Watchman has been on the Best Seller lists ever since, even though it was written long ago and isn’t especially good. But it’s clear that somewhere in those pages is a writer with budding talent. And so the Art History lesson continues:
- the world still needs good editors to inspire budding writers like Harper Lee. Watchman was the first novel she submitted to publishers. Her editor worked with her for three years to help her find a better story using some of the same characters, and to tell it in a more compelling way
- for aspiring novelists everywhere: if your first effort is subpar, don’t despair–and don’t give up
- we’ll probably never know for sure whether Harper Lee wanted to see Watchman published, but it’s pretty clear that it will never diminish the appeal of her finest novel