Harper Lee

Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926.   She was the youngest




of 3 children born to Amasa and Francis Finch Lee.   She was born in




Monroeville, Alabama.   She attended local schools until 1944, at




which time, she entered Huntington College in Montgomery, Alabama.  




She became a Fulbright Scholar and spent a year at Oxford University.  




She also attended University of Alabama for four years studying law.  




In 1950, she quit the school and moved to New York City where she




worked for Eastern Airlines and British Overseas Air Corporation.  




She began writing at a young age, but she was never successful




at getting any of her literary works published, until her successful




novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.   She came into contact with a literary




agent, whom she showed some of her manuscripts.   One of these




manuscripts was a short story, which her agent encouraged her to




expand on.   She then quit her job with the airlines to turn all of her




energy to her writing.   This short story expanded into perhaps one of




the most popular novels, and screenplays, in the world.   The surprise




is, she submitted the work for publication in 1957, and it was rejected.  




She spent the next 2 years in the rewriting and revising the book,




which was eventually published in July, 1960.




Later that year, the book that was originally rejected for




publication, it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished fiction




by an American author.   This marked the first time in nearly twenty




years that a female author recieved the award.   The book also recieved




the Paperback of the Year Award and the National Conference of




Christians and...