American author Nelle Harper Lee (more commonly known by her pen name, Harper Lee), author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” passed away on Feb. 19 at 89 years old. Her novel is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of writing about race in American literature.
Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. She was the youngest of four children to Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee. She briefly attended the University of Alabama before moving to New York to pursue a writing career. She worked to make a living and wrote in her spare time. Several years after moving, she found an agent.
In December 1956, Lee received a generous Christmas gift from two close friends: a years’ worth of wages. A note accompanying the gift said, “You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas.”
