July is almost over and I haven't wished this timeless classic a Happy Birthday. Fifty years old this month and still a darn good read. Plus, I think it's okay to link the book to the movie version - Gregory Peck is Atticus Finch and he doesn't let us down.I've read different columns this month (Time, WSJ, and EW) and they discuss whether To Kill a Mockingbird would have the same success today. There is debate on whether the story would be considered in the YA category (EW 7/2/10 p. 78), and consequently less likely to have been considered for a Pulitzer Prize.
In today's world, would Harper Lee have to prove she's working on another book, plus a blog, and has a "following"? It's easy to play the what if? game.
Let's just appreciate Ms.Lee's gift for words, characters (Scout, Jem, Boo, and Atticus), and her tale of a Southern town roiled by accusations. The book's quiet humor, compassion, and intensity stand the tests of time.
Happy Birthday To Kill a Mockingbird!
It's hard to get a publisher to take new authors seriously especially if they aren't working on another novel at the time of submission (or have a "platform". This may have ended up in the slush pile which I'm sure many great books have in the past few years.
ReplyDeleteIt probably wouldn't have been considered politically correct either.
Ann
By the way - your list of publications is impressive.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Thanks for sharing this info. This was one of my favorite reads in 6th grade. So much that I have a horse named Scout and a rabbit named Boo!
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