Date of Birth: April 28, 1926
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Date of Death: February 19, 2016
Biography
Nelle Harper Lee, widely known as Harper Lee, was an American novelist best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” published in 1960. The book, which deals with serious issues such as racial injustice and the destruction of innocence, became an instant classic of modern American literature. Born in Monroeville, Alabama, Lee was the youngest of four children. She attended Huntingdon College and later studied law at the University of Alabama, though she did not complete her degree. After moving to New York City in 1949, she worked as an airline reservationist while writing in her spare time. Her friendship with Truman Capote, a fellow writer and Monroeville native, was instrumental in her early career. Lee published “Go Set a Watchman” in 2015, a novel that was initially written before “To Kill a Mockingbird” but is set two decades later. She lived a reclusive life and rarely gave interviews, focusing instead on her writing and family.
5 Interesting Facts about Harper Lee
1. Harper Lee was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 for her contribution to literature.
2. “To Kill a Mockingbird” has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 40 languages.
3. Lee assisted Truman Capote in researching his famous book, “In Cold Blood,” though she did not receive official credit.
4. Despite the success of her first novel, Harper Lee published only one other book during her lifetime, “Go Set a Watchman.”
5. Harper Lee was a childhood friend of Truman Capote, and the character Dill in “To Kill a Mockingbird” is based on him.
5 Most Interesting Quotes from Harper Lee
1. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
2. “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”
3. “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”
4. “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
5. “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
Highest Net Worth Achieved
At the peak of her career, Harper Lee’s net worth was estimated to be around $35 million.
Children
Harper Lee did not have any children.
Relevant Links
1. [Biography of Harper Lee on Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/writer/harper-lee
2. [Harper Lee – Facts on Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harper-Lee
3. [Harper Lee – Quotes on Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1825.Harper_Lee
