“Any writer
worth his salt writes to please himself... It's a self-exploratory operation
that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine
discontent.”
Harper Lee
28 April 1926Curious facts about
Lee, who suffered a stroke in 2007, has ongoing health issues that
include hearing loss, limited vision and problems with her short-term memory.
All this made some wonder whether the author truly wanted to publish Go Set a
Watchman, as for years she'd been happy without putting out another book.
Lee may have become a multimillionaire thanks to Mockingbird, but the
money didn’t change her lifestyle. She had a modest apartment in New York City,
and got around by bus while in town. When she returned to her hometown of
Monroeville, Alabama (traveling by train), Lee lived in a one-story ranch house
with her sister Alice. Clothes shopping there was usually done at Walmart or a
Vanity Fair outlet; Lee traveled to the laundromat in the next town when she
needed something clean to wear.
In the years following To Kill a Mockingbird's release, a rumor began
that Lee's longtime friend Truman Capote was the true mind behind the novel.
After all, Capote was a successful author who'd written Breakfast at Tiffany's
(1958) and In Cold Blood (1966), while Lee didn't publish another book after
Mockingbird (until now).
She is an amazing writer with so much influence due to Mockingbird. I love that she kept her life modest. I haven't read Watchman.
ReplyDeleteI feel her closer to me than other authors. Thanks for dropping by, Flossie!
DeleteThanks for sharing this, Carmen. Lee's life is surely an intersting one.
ReplyDeleteI like her quote too. Thanks for visiting, Daisy!
DeleteShe sounds like a humble woman who wasn't altered by success despite the iconic fame of Mockingbird. She made an impact on literature.
ReplyDeleteA real character, we may say.
DeleteThanks for dropping by, Mae!