Nelle Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Go Set a Watchman,” died in her sleep on Feb. 19.
Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama, the same place she passed away. Her most famous novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” was published in 1960.
In 1961, the novel won the Pulitzer Prize. The novel is loosely based on events regarding racial tensions in Alabama in the 1930s.
“I often suspected that Lee never wrote another novel because of the general recognition of the perfection of the first,” Terry Ansbro, an instructor from the English department with a graduate degree in creative writing and literature, said. “To Kill a Mockingbird” struck such a chord with readers that their response must have been overwhelming to Lee.”
“Go Set a Watchman” was published in July 2015 as a sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Controversy surrounded the release due to reports of Lee’s mental and physical states, along with questions of whether she was aware of signing the publication.
When Ansbro found out that Lee’s original draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird” would be released as “Go Set a Watchman”, she was thrilled, despite the controversy.
“I found it comforting that Lee was actually out there in real life,” Ansbro said. “I never met her but considered her my writing mentor and inspiration.”
In 1966, when Lee heard the school board in Richmond, Virginia, was trying to ban her book, she sent money to enroll the Hanover County School Board into first grade because they apparently could not read. In November of 2007, Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush. In 2010, she received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama.
