AUDASE

Harper Lee, Author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Is to Publish a Second Novel

By ALEXANDRA ALTER NY TIMES

Harper Lee, the reclusive author of the beloved best-selling novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," will publish a second novel in July, her publisher announced Tuesday.

The recently rediscovered book, "Go Set a Watchman," was completed in the mid-1950s, in the midst of the civil rights movement. It takes place 20 years after "To Kill a Mockingbird." Though it’s effectively a sequel, Ms. Lee actually wrote "Go Set a Watchman" first. The 304-page novel takes place in the same fictional town, Maycomb, Ala., and unfolds as Scout Finch, the feisty child heroine of "To Kill a Mockingbird," returns to visit her father, Atticus.

Ms. Lee said in a statement released by her publisher that her editor at the time was taken with Scout’s childhood flashbacks, and told her to write a different novel from Scout’s perspective.

"I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told," Ms. Lee, 88, a native of Monroeville, Ala., said in the statement.

That book became "To Kill a Mockingbird," a classic that won the Pulitzer Prize, was adapted into a 1962 film and has sold more than 40 million copies globally since it was published in 1960. It continues to sell more than one million copies a year, and has been translated into more than 40 languages.

The novel, which is considered to be an American masterpiece and became a staple of school curriculums, is set in Alabama during the Depression, as the young Scout and her family get swept up in the trial of a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Scout’s father, who was played by Gregory Peck in the film adaptation, represents the accused man at trial. The novel explores themes of racial prejudice and injustice as well as love and a young girl’s coming of age.

Ms. Lee never published another novel, despite pleas and prodding from readers and the literary establishment. She settled into a reclusive life and has rarely given interviews since the 1960s. She set the earlier book aside, and thought the draft had been lost or destroyed. Then last fall, her friend and lawyer, Tonja Carter, discovered the manuscript of "Go Set a Watchman" in what Ms. Lee said was "a secure location," attached to an original typescript of "To Kill a Mockingbird."

"After much thought and hesitation I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years," Ms. Lee said in a statement.

Scholars have long been aware that Ms. Lee wrote an earlier manuscript, but many thought it was an early version of "To Kill a Mockingbird," not a separate story that unfolds decades later. Everyone, including, apparently, Ms. Lee herself, believed it was lost.

Charles J. Shields, who wrote a biography of Ms. Lee that was published by Henry Holt in 2006, said he came across references to "Go Set a Watchman" in Ms. Lee’s early correspondence with her literary agent. "’I figured it was an early draft of To Kill a Mockingbird’," Mr. Shields said. He also saw references from Ms. Lee’s editor to repeated revisions of "To Kill a Mockingbird," as she tried telling the story from three different perspectives.

Mr. Shields was skeptical that the new novel would hold up against Ms. Lee’s first book, which was an instant classic when she published it at age 34. The new book won’t be altered from the original manuscript. "We’re going to see what Harper Lee writes like without a strong editor’s hand, when she’s, quite honestly, an amateur," Mr. Shields said.

The book’s publisher, Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, plans to print two million copies of the new book, which is set for a July 14 release. The deal for the book was negotiated by Michael Morrison, president and publisher of HarperCollins U.S. General Books Group and Canada, and Ms. Carter.

"I, along with millions of others around the world, always wished that Harper Lee had written another book," Mr. Morrison said in a statement. "And what a brilliant book this is. I love ‘Go Set a Watchman,’ and know that this masterpiece will be revered for generations to come."

Some critics and observers were skeptical of Ms. Lee’s role in approving the deal. All of Harper’s communication with Ms. Lee about the new book came through her lawyer, Ms. Carter, and her literary agent, Andrew Nurnberg, including the statement she gave expressing her delight that the novel would finally be published, according to Jonathan Burnham, senior vice president and publisher of Harper. "We talked to her through her lawyer and friend Tonja Carter," Mr. Burnham said, adding that he was "completely confident" that Ms. Lee understood and approved of the deal and that speaking directly with Ms. Lee "wasn’t necessary."

Harper said that Ms. Lee’s lawyer and literary agent weren’t giving interviews. A receptionist at Ms. Carter’s law firm in Monroeville said Ms. Carter was "not taking any calls about the news release."

Ms. Lee suffered a stroke in 2007 and has been living in an assisted living facility. Her sister, Alice Lee, a lawyer who was her companion and her protector from the prying eyes of the public, died a few months ago.

Marja Mills, who struck up a friendship with the Lee sisters and became their neighbor in 2004, said she wondered about Ms. Lee’s level of involvement.

"I have some concerns about statements that have been attributed to her," Ms. Mills said in an interview. Ms. Mills had her own public standoff with Harper Lee over "The Mockingbird Next Door," a memoir she published about her friendship with the Lees. When the book was announced, Harper Lee released a statement through her lawyer saying she had not sanctioned the book or knowingly participated in it. But Alice Lee later wrote to Ms. Mills and said that both she and Harper Lee supported the book. In a letter dated May 12, 2011, which was made public, Alice Lee told Ms. Mills that, "Poor Nelle Harper can’t see and can’t hear and will sign anything put before her by any one in whom she has confidence."

Ms. Lee has shied away from public attention for decades, but she’s been involved in a handful of lawsuits in recent years, in an apparent effort to protect her literary legacy and estate. She filed a lawsuit against the Monroe County Heritage Museum, which she said had profited from the unauthorized use of her novel, and against her former literary agency, which she claimed had deprived her of royalties from the novel for years and had improperly transferred the copyright to the agency. The case against the museum was settled last year, and the dispute with her agency was resolved out of court.

Ms. Lee has occasionally addressed the question of why she never published another book after "To Kill A Mockingbird." She has said she found the publicity surrounding "To Kill a Mockingbird" overwhelming, and that she felt one novel was enough.