Harper Lee, one of America’s most celebrated novelists whose masterpiece “To Kill a Mockingbird” was read by millions worldwide, has died at the age of 89. The Pulitzer-winning author evaded the spotlight for decades and spent her final years living in seclusion in Monroeville, Alabama, where she was born in 1926.
US President Barack Obama said in his tribute, Lee changed America for the better with her work. In a statement, the Obama family wrote, when Harper Lee sat down to write the book, she wasn’t seeking awards or fame. She was a country girl who just wanted to tell an honest story about life as she saw it. Former, US President George W Bush, who awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, said she was a legendary novelist and lovely lady.
Shortly after publishing To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee retreated from public life, turning down interviews and moving from New York back to her languid hometown of Monroeville. Her legacy was pure, as uncomplicated as her stirring only book, as clear as a mockingbird’s call.
Lee was hailed as a brilliant writer and an extraordinary woman by those who paid tribute to her – a crowd that included the friends who knew her and those who were inspired by her.
The president and publisher of HarperCollins US, Michael Morrison, also commented on the loss of one of the publishing house’s most famous authors.
“The world knows Harper Lee was a brilliant writer but what many don’t know is that she was an extraordinary woman of great joyfulness, humility and kindness. She lived her life the way she wanted to – in private – surrounded by books and the people who loved her. I will always cherish the time I spent with her,” Morrison said