Harper Lee, the author of critically acclaimed novel To Kill A Mockingbird, has passed away aged 89.
The sad news of her passing was confirmed by her hometown mayor’s office in Alabama earlier today.
Lee has been described as an extremely private individual who rarely made public appearances, despite the wide success her Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird earned her.
To Kill A Mockingbird tells the tale of Atticus Finch; a lawyer in the Deep South of America who defends a black man accused of rape, and of his two children, who learn the rights and wrongs of life by watching and learning from their dad. It is studied by thousands of students every year as a staple of the English curriculum.
Lee did not publish another book until last year, when she published Go Set A Watchman – a Mockingbird prequel/sequel that she wrote at the same time as the original novel, which was published in 1960.
Look out for the Edge‘s retrospective review of To Kill A Mockingbird, which will be online later today.
