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Harper Lee's Life and Work

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Harper Lee's Life and Work
Lee is a famous author because she wrote the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, this is her only novel. Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama a tiny town. She was born on April 28, 1926, she is still alive today. Harper Lee grew up with her father, mother, two sisters and a brother. Her father, Amasa Coleman Lee worked as a lawyer and was a member of the Alabama state legislature. He also owned part iof a newspaper. Her mother was Frances Cunningham her mother had a mental illness and did not leave the house. Harper’s two sisters are Alice Lee and Louise Lee. Harper’s brother, Edwin Coleman Lee works as a US air force officer. (Biography.com 1)

Harper Lee went to High School at Monroe County High School. She graduated in 1944. Harper attended three colleges. First, Lee went to Huntington College in Montgomery Alabama. She left Huntington after one year and transferred to the University of Alabama. Lee studied law and was an exchange student at Oxford. She dropped out 6 months before she got her law degree and didn’t receive her law degree. She dropped out because she wanted to write and was working as an airline reservations clerk, writing on her free time. (Hawthorne-Lurie.1113)

Some of Harper Lee’s early influences and people who helped and inspired her on what she really wanted to do, being a famous writer were the Browns. In 1956, the Browns gave Harper a Christmas gift, the gift was to support her for a year so that she could write full time. She quit her job so that she could spend all of her time writing. The Browns also helped her find an agent, Maurice Crain; he was able to get the publishing firm interested in her novel.

Some major accomplishments Harper Lee made was one her book “How To Kill a Mockingbird” was prize-winning best seller her one and only novel.

Although her first novel gained a huge success, Lee did not contunue her career as a writer she went back to New York to Monroeville where she has

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    Nelle Harper Lee was born on the 28th day of April in 1926, in southwest Alabama in a small town called Monroeville. Monroeville has a population of 7,000 people.<br><br>Harper Lee is the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Lee. Harper Lee went to Huntingdon College from 1944-45, from 1945-49 she studied law at the University of Alabama, and attended one year at Oxford University. In the 1950's she worked as a reservation clerk with BOAC in New York City and with Eastern Air Lines.<br><br>In 1957 Harper Lee handed in the manuscript of her novel to the J.B. Lippincott Company. She was told that her novel was a bunch of short stories put together, and she was urged to re-write it. Finally in 1960 she published her first and only book to get published, To Kill a Mockingbird. <br><br>Harper Lee has won many awards, they are; Pulitzer Prize, 1961, Alabama Library Association award, 1961, Brotherhood Award of National Conference of Christians and Jews, 1961, Bestsellers' paperback of the year award, 1962. All these awards were for To Kill a Mockingbird.<br><br>Harper Lee had two articles published in 1961: Love - - In Other Words, in Vogue and Christmas To Me, in McCalls. Christmas To Me is the story of Harper Lee getting the gift of a years time for writing from her friends. In 1965 When Children Discover America was published.<br><br>In June 1966, President Johnson named Harper Lee to the National Council of Arts.<br><br>Harper Lee has received many honorary doctorates. In 1997 she received an honorary doctorate of humane letters at Spring Hill College in Mobile Alabama. Professor Margaret Davis told Harper Lee that she was being honoured for her "lyrical elegance, her portrayal of human strength, and wisdom."<br><br>A couple of Harper Lee's interests were golf and…

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