‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Author Harper Lee, Passes Away at 89

The unexpected death of author Harper Lee, the grand dame of the literary world, is inspiring a slew of acknowledgements for the woman who produced the most influentially viable gem of our time – To Kill a Mockingbird. She was 89.

Harper Lee

Lee died in her hometown of Monroeville, and her death was confirmed by the city clerk’s office.
To Kill a Mockingbird is by far the literary icon’s most valued work which can be attributed to the societal themes that are flawlessly woven and strike a chord that can still be unleashed even today.
The book captures the racial undertones of an Alabama town as it focuses on Atticus Finch, a lawyer, who has been commissioned to defend a black man who is being persecuted for killing a white man. The story also includes the astute observance of his daughter Scout Finch.
The novel was an instant hit, and scored the Pulitzer Prize – to date – it has sold over 30 million copies and has been translated into 40 languages. Even more fascinating is the fact that it has never been in danger of going out of print.
As expected with novels that are seeped in dramatic fare that recalls the worst and best of times, the books was adapted into a film that opened in 1962, and starred actor Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, Brock Peters as Tom Robinson, the black man who had to stand trial for the murder he didn’t commit and Robert Duvall in his first film role, as Boo Radley.
Lee and Peck eventually forged a close bond that extended to his family – as evident in his grandson being named after the author – Harper Peck Voll.

Actors, Gregory Peck and Brock Peters in the 1962 film adaptation

The film was ended up being secured into the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Board in 1995.
Lee’s rise from an airlines reservation assistant in New York to one of the most formidable and respected authors of our time, happened as a result of a monetary gift. After receiving her good fortune, Lee was inspired to devote all of her time and energy to her novel.
Aside from an appearance on The Merv Griffin Show In 1963, Lee kept a very low profile – preferring to lead a normal quiet life in the town where she grew up.
She briefly came out of hiding in 2015 when she released her second book, Go Set a Watchman which she had already authored before To Kill a Mockingbird. The book sold more than 1 million copies in its first week despite the controversy surrounding Atticus Finch who was displayed as a champion of segregation – a surprising revelation after he had been portrayed as passionate symbol of the civil rights movement.
Lee accumulated an immense collection of accolades and honors including the National Medal of Arts which she received in 2010 from President Obama. Prior to that President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Lee to the National Council on the Arts in 1966.
At press time – there was no official cause of death, but at 89, Lee is certainly the epitome of a life well lived and fully realized – and if anyone could write the perfect ending for the woman who single-handedly transformed the literary landscape – it would be Harper Lee.