To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee An introduction to the novel and the author

The author: Harper Lee Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama Youngest of four children born to Amasa Coleman Lee (father) and Frances Finch Lee (mother)

Harper Lee’s family and friends She is a descendent of the Southern Civil War General Robert E. Lee Her father was a lawyer and served in the Alabama State Legislature from He was the inspiration for the character Atticus Finch. Her childhood friend was neighbor Truman Capote, who would also become a famous author as a adult. He provided the inspiration for the character Dill Harris. The character of Scout Finch is based on Harper Lee herself, who was a tomboy as a young girl

Education Attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL Transferred to the University of Alabama, where she was accepted in the university’s law school Spent a semester at Oxford University in England as an exchange student Dropped out of law school after one semester

Writing Career In 1949 Lee moved to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer Worked as a ticket agent for an airline to support herself Befriended Broadway composer Michael Brown and his wife. For Christmas in 1956 the Browns gave Lee the equivalent of a year’s pay so she could quit her job and devote herself to her writing.

Writing Career The Browns helped Harper find an agent, and the agent helped her find a publishing firm that would be interested in her work Lee worked with an editor to revise the drafts of her novel, and finished the manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird in 1959.

To Kill a Mockingbird Published July 1960 An immediate bestseller and remains on bestselling lists today Won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 Adapted into an award winning movie in Harper visited the set of the movie and was very supportive of the film. The only novel Lee has ever published

Harper Lee’s later life In 1966 Lee’s childhood friend Truman Capote published In Cold Blood and dedicated it to Lee, who had helped him with much of the research that was involved in writing it. In the years since the novel’s publication, Harper Lee has remained very private. She declines almost all invitations to public events and refuses to give interviews. She spends her time in NYC and Monroeville. In 2007 Ms. Lee was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States for her contribution to literature

Divided into two Parts: *Part 1- Chapters 1-11 *Part 2-Chapters Setting: *Maycomb, Alabama *during the Great Depression *during the time of racial segregation Point of View: *First person *The narrator is Scout Finch, who at the start of the story is a 6 year old little girl The novel

3 characters from the novel appear on Book Magazine’s list of 100 Best Characters in Fiction since 1900: #7 Atticus Finch #24 Scout Finch #81 Arthur “Boo” Radley