Fan Favorite: Great American Authors | Harper Lee: Mockingbird | 6
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What inspired Harper Lee to move from Alabama to New York?
Imagine it's the spring of 1957. You're an editor at a distinguished literary publishing house in New York and one of the few senior women in the office. You walk into a towering Art Deco building in the heart of midtown Manhattan. Your shoulder strains under a heavy bag. You're carrying a 250-page manuscript, and it's a story that you can't get off your mind. After two decades in the business, you've established yourself as a trusted leader with a strong instinct for story and a talent for working with young writers. As you enter the office, you're greeted by a more junior employee named Marguerite.
Good morning. Good morning. I was hoping I would run into you. I want to talk over that manuscript you passed over. The one by that young author from Alabama. Right, go set a watchman. I didn't think it was worth your time to read.
You're surprised. Marguerite has been working in publishing a few years, and you've come to rely on her to vet new writers before they get to your desk. But when you saw this manuscript in the rejection pile, something made you decide to give it a look. You decided to press her on her reasoning.
Well, what made you think that? Well, for starters, it's far too long for a first novel. I agree, it's a bit long. But that's what good editors are for. Cutting. Honing a focus. All right, but the story was simply too autobiographical. And there's nothing tying all the various narrative arcs together. There's plenty to change about the book. We can agree on that. Right now it reads more like a collection of anecdotes than a cohesive novel. But weren't you struck by the author's distinctive voice? It's hard to believe this 30-year-old writer hasn't published anything before. Not even a short story. I marveled at the prose and the nuanced depictions of setting.
Marguerite looks at you sheepishly.
I suppose I hadn't noticed all that. And what about the characters? Don't you think there's a reason you felt it was autobiographical? The characters were so three-dimensional, so real. It's as if you and I could be standing in a room with them right now.
Now Marguerite looks embarrassed. You aren't intending to scold her, you just want her to learn from the experience so you soften your tone.
This manuscript is a perfect candidate for a publishing house like ours. With our help, I think the book could really become something. Let's get this writer to come in for a meeting. All right, I see what you're saying. I'll call her agent now.
You leave Marguerite and settle in at your desk, feeling a sense of relief that you didn't let her pass this manuscript over. You can't wait to meet this mysterious writer from Alabama. She may be the rare talent you've been looking for. You're listening ad-free on Audible. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of American History Tellers ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. From Wondery, I'm Lindsey Graham, and this is American History Tellers, our history, your story.
In the spring of 1957, an aspiring writer named Nell Harper Lee submitted a manuscript entitled Go Set a Watchman to several New York publishers. Editor Tay Hohoff saw the promise hiding within Lee's work. Over the next several months, with Hohoff's guidance, Lee would reshape her manuscript into a breakout novel to kill a mockingbird. This book was an instant success and soon ignited a countrywide debate about racial injustice, while giving many Northerners a window into small-town Southern life. A New York Times reviewer said of Lee, Here is a storyteller justifying the novel as a form that transcends time and place. At that moment, Lee appeared to be a trailblazing new author at the start of a prolific career.
But in the years to come, Lee would not publish another book. Soon after Mockingbird, Lee all but disappeared from public life. She stopped doing interviews and even shied away from lifelong friends. Decades later, when an old manuscript of hers suddenly appeared, no one knew what to believe, and a battle over her classic book and her legacy began.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What inspired Harper Lee to move from Alabama to New York?
0:00–18:09
2
How did Tay Hohoff influence the writing of To Kill a Mockingbird?
18:09–19:40
3
What themes are explored in To Kill a Mockingbird?
19:40–21:05
4
Why did Harper Lee withdraw from public life after her success?
21:05–21:54
5
What controversies arose surrounding the publication of Go Set a Watchman?
21:54–24:24
6
How did Lee's personal life impact her writing career?
24:24–41:15