Harper Lee McIntosh and Otis file.
Lee reflects, twenty-five years later, on her life, work, and To Kill a Mockingbird, in a
series of stunningly terse and insightful replies to an Author Questionnaire - “Contexts –
Questionnaire for Authors,” containing 19 questions with Lee’s short answer’s typed
beneath – for the “New Windmill Series” from Heinemann, 25 years after the first
publication of the 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird. All she says of it
in the accompanying letter is this: “I’m sorry! The enclosure came to light in a stack of
what I thought was fan mail.” The recipient – Julie Fallowfield of McIntosh and Otis –
has presciently written in pencil at the foot of the page: “Do not return this questionnaire.
JF. 8 Sept 85.” Lee devotes most of her short letter to an invitation to speak at the
University of North Alabama: “…I don’t need the money, and as long as I am a few
shekels ahead I see no reason to undergo for a gat fee something that I detest doing.” She
exudes warmth for Julie and Gene (Winick) ; “being with you and Gene was one of the
highlights of my time in the City this year! Thank you for it” – and mentions her current
travel plans: “I’m off tomorrow on the QE II for the old country….” A few questions and
answers:
Why did you start writing novels?
Why breathe?
How long have you been writing novels?
Since I could read them.
Are you a full time writer?
Yes.
What did you do before, or what is your job now?
Worked for an airline.
How did you get the idea for this book?
Silly question.
How long did the book take to write?
About two years.
Are the characters based on people that you have met?
Some of the traits of some of the characters are drawn from observation.
Do you ever run out of ideas for a story while you are writing it?
No.
How much do you revise your work while you are writing?
Too much.
Would you like to write a sequel to the story?
No.
What do you think is the best piece of writing that you have done?
To Kill a Mockingbird.
Together with the request letter from Heinemann, four letters from Lee to her agents,
showing her warm, humorous, almost boisterous voice, and illustrating her participation
in various types of decisions regarding her work – including commentary on her
“celebrity,” and her attempts to write – and a few related internal items.
Autograph letter signed, “Nelle” to Margaret [White]; [ca. May 1975?]; 4to.; one leaf
of yellow lined paper; recto only, double-spaced. Begins, “If they don’t want this, tell
’em what to do with it,” referring to a short photocopy typescript autobiographical
essay stapled to the letter. The balance deals briefly with upcoming travel plans and
social obligations.
Autograph note signed, “Nelle” to Margaret [White]; July 26, [1977]; 8vo.; one leaf;
recto only. In response to “a lovely contract” for a foreign edition: “Isn’t there already
a Brazilian edition, or is it Portuguese?”; mentions impending trip to NYC.
Typed letter signed, “Nelle” to Pat [Patricia S. Myrer, President, McIntosh and
Otis, Inc.]; June 11, 1978; 8vo.; bifolium; recto of first page only. Regarding her
current schedule, efforts to write, and privacy. Begins by apologizing for a delayed
reply, noting that she “buried the contracts under autopsy reports and trial
transcripts”; provides travel arrangements and anticipates a hot summer in New York
– she notes that she wants to “hole up” and write, and that “[i]t’s impossible to hole
up anywhere in Alabama because Alabama’s still one big small town and in these
parts I am still a damn celebrity.” She continues: “Another reason I’m coming back is
that I refuse to practice checkbook journalism. Before I left Coosa County, of all
places, people hands were out before they’d say good morning. (I can’t convince the
Widow Maxwell that she doesn’t have a property right in her late husband’s villainy,
and she’s only one of many.) They’ve come a long way, baby!”
Autograph letter signed, “Nelle” to Pat; September 1,
Print Inquire
