Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. She is best known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller To Kill a Mockingbird, which turned out to be her one and only novel. The youngest of four children, she grew up as a tomboy in a small town. Her father was a lawyer and a member of the Alabama state legislature, as well as also owning part of the local newspaper. For most of Nelle's life, her mother suffered from mental illness, rarely leaving the house. It is believed that she may have had bipolar disorder.
One of her closest childhood friends was Truman Capote. Tougher than many of the boys, Nelle often stepped up to serve as Truman's protector. Truman, who shared few interests with boys his age, was picked on for being a sissy and for the fancy clothes he wore. While the two friends were very different, they both shared in having difficult home lives. Truman was living with his mother’s relatives in town after being abandoned by his own parents.
In high school, Nelle became very interested in English literature. After graduating in 1944, she went to the all-female college in Montgomery, Alabama. Nelle was different from most of the other students because she could not have cared less about fashion, makeup, or dating. Instead, she focused on her studies and writing.
After transferring to the University of Alabama, Nelle was known for being a loner and an individualist. She did make a greater attempt at a social life there, joining a sorority for a while. Pursuing her interest in writing, she contributed to the school’s newspaper and its humor magazine, the Rammer Jammer, even becoming the editor.
In her junior year, Nelle was accepted into the university’s law school, which allowed students to work on law degrees while still undergraduates. The demands of the law school forced her to leave her post as editor of the Rammer Jammer. After her first year in the law program, Nelle was insistent to her family that writing, not the law, was her true passion. She went to Oxford University in England that summer as an exchange student. After returning to law school that fall, Lee dropped out after the first semester. She soon moved to New York City to follow her dreams to become a writer, where she then wrote and completed her famous book To Kill A Mockingbird.
One of her closest childhood friends was Truman Capote. Tougher than many of the boys, Nelle often stepped up to serve as Truman's protector. Truman, who shared few interests with boys his age, was picked on for being a sissy and for the fancy clothes he wore. While the two friends were very different, they both shared in having difficult home lives. Truman was living with his mother’s relatives in town after being abandoned by his own parents.
In high school, Nelle became very interested in English literature. After graduating in 1944, she went to the all-female college in Montgomery, Alabama. Nelle was different from most of the other students because she could not have cared less about fashion, makeup, or dating. Instead, she focused on her studies and writing.
After transferring to the University of Alabama, Nelle was known for being a loner and an individualist. She did make a greater attempt at a social life there, joining a sorority for a while. Pursuing her interest in writing, she contributed to the school’s newspaper and its humor magazine, the Rammer Jammer, even becoming the editor.
In her junior year, Nelle was accepted into the university’s law school, which allowed students to work on law degrees while still undergraduates. The demands of the law school forced her to leave her post as editor of the Rammer Jammer. After her first year in the law program, Nelle was insistent to her family that writing, not the law, was her true passion. She went to Oxford University in England that summer as an exchange student. After returning to law school that fall, Lee dropped out after the first semester. She soon moved to New York City to follow her dreams to become a writer, where she then wrote and completed her famous book To Kill A Mockingbird.