Fansided

Harper Lee passes away at age of 89

By Jonathan Bass

WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 05: Pulitzer Prize winner and author of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' Harper Lee (C) smiles with C-SPAN President and CEO Brian Lamb (L) and Liberia president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (R) during the presentation ceremony of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the medal's 2007 recipients in the East Room of the White House November 5, 2007 in Washington, DC. The Medal of Freedom is given to those who have made remarkable contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, culture, or other private or public endeavors. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 05: Pulitzer Prize winner and author of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' Harper Lee (C) smiles with C-SPAN President and CEO Brian Lamb (L) and Liberia president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (R) during the presentation ceremony of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the medal's 2007 recipients in the East Room of the White House November 5, 2007 in Washington, DC. The Medal of Freedom is given to those who have made remarkable contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, culture, or other private or public endeavors. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Author Harper Lee has passed away at the age of 89.

The literary world lost an icon on Friday morning with the passing of Harper Lee. Lee, 89, passed away at her home in Monroeville, Alabama.

An American treasure, Lee touched the lives of countless generations through her masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird. A coming of age tale set in the Deep South, Mockingbird touched on an array of tropes from American racial relations, adolescence and moral justice versus legal justice. The themes explored in her book have proven timeless, and as such it has been taught in schools across America and around the world.

First published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize for literature and cast immediate fame on Lee. However, the author receded from the spotlight, long resisting offers to write more novels. Her magnum opus was adapted to film in 1962. The movie won Academy Awards for Best Actor (Gregory Peck), Best Adapted Screenplay (Horton Foote) and Best Art Direction. It was nominated for five other awards, including Best Picture, which was ultimately won by Lawrence of Arabia.

In 2015, a book by Lee, Go Set a Watchman, featuring the same characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, was released to tempered success – it also opened up criticism about whether Lee truly wanted the work to be published.

It’s a special person who publishes a book and exits the spotlight for 50 years, only to a shadow long enough to be a household name for the duration. Harper Lee will live eternally in global canon of great literature and authors.

Home/Entertainment