Nineteen
hours ago beloved author Harper Lee passed away in her sleep, tucked away in
her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Lee wrote To Kill A Mocking
Bird, published in 1960 to rave reviews; the following year she
was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. And on Christmas Day 1962, the film was
released. Like the book, it was an instant classic.
By 1964,
Harper Lee was finished with interviews and the public. Harper did keep an
apartment in New York City, but when her sister Alice became ill, Lee moved
back home for good.
The
choice to live a quiet life in her hometown may be hard to understand in times
when living in front of cameras and microphones is viewed as a magical
carpet ride to fame and fortune and all the fat trimmings life can offer.
In 2015, to the great surprise of the
world, Lee's second novel was published. Go Set A Watchman was
written before To Kill A Mocking Bird. And considering that
more than fifty years had passed since her first book was published, the eager
anticipation with which the reading public greeted the news of a second is a
testament to the power of Lee's writing.
Monroeville, Alabama, I am sorry for your loss, Peace.
____________________________
Personal Reminiscences
I did not read the book before I saw
the film. It was one of my secret Sunday movie- watching afternoons--at a hotel
my folks ran, The Lake Hill Motel. On Sundays, the guests checked out a
little late and the rooms would not be cleaned until the next morning. I would
grab a soda from the storage room and watch old films in rooms not
yet cleaned for the next guest.
The cigar box, its contents and
Scout dressed as a leg of ham. Playing and not getting caught when dared to
touch boundaries outside of home base, marbles and Boo. His soap figures
humble me even now. And then the disease of hate. Black and white. I cannot
imagine this film in color. This classic film is held in such regard, no one
would try. Maybe when we who are here now have passed away, someone will feel
the need to find colors that speak louder than black and white, though I doubt
it. --Bridget
