On the trail of Harper Lee (50th anniversary of the publication "To Kill A Mockingbird")

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-madden-harperlee-20100711,0,4483000.story

In researching a biography of the author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' the writer uncovers a wealth of stories, though not always the ones she was seeking.

By Kerry Madden July 11, 2010

In her last in-depth interview about writing, Harper Lee talked about her hometown, Monroeville, Ala., in 1964, telling Roy Newquist:

We simply entertained each other by talking. It's quite a thing, if you've never been in or known a small Southern town. The people are not particularly sophisticated, naturally. They're not worldly wise in any way. But they tell you a story whenever they see you. We're oral types — we talk.

Sunday is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird," and Monroeville is still a place rich with stories and storytellers. Lee's oldest sister, Miss Alice Lee, 98, has been a lawyer in town for the last six decades at Bugg, Barnett & Lee, where her father, Mr. A.C. Lee, the inspiration for Atticus Finch, worked. There is a saying in Monroeville that if you don't know the answer, "Go ask Alice."

Mel's Dairy Dream now stands where the Lee home used to be, next door to an empty lot where Truman Capote's childhood home once stood. I began writing "Up Close: Harper Lee," a biography for teenagers, in 2007, and Lee's silence made me work that much harder. Lee, who goes by her first name, Nelle, doesn't grant interviews. But I knew I couldn't sit in Los Angeles Googling "Harper Lee," and so I went to the well of stories in Monroeville.

There, I met Capote's cousin, Jennings Carter — called "Big Boy" as a child — who, along with Lee's late brother, Edwin, is thought to be the inspiration for Jem. Carter's arm hangs at an 90-degree angle to his body, just like Jem's. As he came into the room at the courthouse, he said, "I don't know what I can tell you that hasn't been said before." But then he told a story of how Capote always had to be the teacher when they played school so he could whack him and Nelle with the ruler for getting the wrong answer.

Carter also described the sweetness of his older cousin, Sook Faulk, who inspired Capote's story, "A Christmas Memory," and how she preferred the company of children to adults and always gave them a little pocket money for a soda or a double feature. And, yes, Sook did send a fruitcake to President Roosevelt but never got a thank-you note.

FULL story at link.

[CTyankee]

1. Oh, now that's just sweet. Thank you for posting this...I loved it!

[uppityperson]

2. I finished this recently and it was interesting. Lee didn't want anything

written about herself, didn't want publicity. I feel sorry for her that she is in the public eye again, and hope people don't bother her more than she is comfortable with.

That said, TOAM is what I consider one of the best books of my lifetime. The story is great and her writing style is simply wonderful. Thank you Ms.Lee for writing it.

[sendero]

3. I was visiting ...

... some relatives in San Antonio one summer before I reached my teen years. We didn't go to movies very often, and mostly what we did see were Disney stuff.

I had no idea what a movie called "To Kill a Mockingbird" could possibly be about. And at this time, most new movies were in color. I didn't expect much.

This movie BLEW ME AWAY. It might well be my favorite movie of all time. I've never read the book, I don't read many books, perhaps I will some day.

I think it is safe to say that this book changed many hearts and minds.

[Frances]

4. Thanks so much for this link

I was born 15 years after Harper Lee and grew up 35 miles from Monroeville, so To Kill a Mockingbird is especially meaningful to me.

I called Harper Lee's home a few years after the book was published to request that Harper Lee speak to a group of high school students in Tuskegee, Alabama. Harper Lee's older sister answered the phone and said that Harper Lee considered herself a writer, not a speaker, so unfortunately, I was not successful in my request. But the book speaks for itself.

[UTUSN]

5. She said, "Where do (can) I go from HERE?" n/t