- Lee, 89, pictured at an event in hometown Monroeville, Alabama, June 30
- Lee has not been seen in public since October 2009Â
- New novel Go Set A Watchman will be released July 14
- It is already the No. 1 best-selling book on Amazon
- Lee had rejected writing or releasing a second book for over 50 yearsÂ
- She suffered a stroke in 2007, impairing her mental health and vision
- Publisher HaperCollins announced the book in February, three months after the death of Lee's sister, lawyer and gatekeeper, Alice LeeÂ
Hermetic Alabama author Harper Lee has made her first public appearance in six years in her hometown of Monroeville, just days out from the highly-touted release of Go Set A Watchman, the unexpected follow-up to her 1960 classic To Kill a Mockingbird.
The novel, which will hit shelves July 14, is being hailed as the biggest book launch in recent memory, having already amassed as many pre-orders as the record-breaking Harry Potter series on Amazon.
Lee, 89, was pictured at an intimate luncheon thrown in her honor at the Prop & Gavel restaurant, in Monroeville's town square, on June 30.
According to People, it is the second-only appearance the reclusive writer has made since 1964.
Rare appearance: Author Harper Lee (center) makes her first public outing in almost 10 years on June 30 at the Prop & Gavel restaurant in Monroeville, Alabama. She is flanked by close friend and benefactor Joy Brown (right) as documentary filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy (left) shows her a copy of Go Set A Watchman
The photo was released by filmmaker and author Mary McDonagh Murphy, who in 2012 made the documentary Harper Lee: Hey, Boo.
An updated version of the film, renamed Harper Lee: American Masters, will air on PBS on Friday night.
Upcoming: Go Set A Watchman will be out July 14
In the photo, Murphy is seen showing Lee a hardback of Go Set A Watchman, which is believed to be the first time she has seen a printed copy.
The moment was reportedly filmed and will feature in the updated doco tomorrow.
Also in the photo is Joy Brown, Lee’s close friend and benefactor, Deadline reported.
Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department who was at the lunch last week, told The New York Times that Lee refuted widely-held beliefs that the book was being printed without her expressed consent.
'Of course I did, don't be silly,' Lee said, according to Sentell.Â
It may very well be the only outing Lee makes ahead of the release of the novel, which has been mired with controversy since publisher HarperCollins confirmed it in February.
The announcement came just three months after the death of Lee's older sister, lawyer and gatekeeper, Alice Lee.Â
Harper and Alice Lee lived together at a nursing home in Monroeville, where Lee continues to reside.
Alice was 103 when she died on November 17.
Lee once described her sister Alice as 'Atticus in a skirt', referring to her beloved Mockingbird character Atticus Finch, which is believed to have originally been inspired by the women's father.
Lee retreated into an intensely private life following the fame that To Kill A Mockingbird garnered her and repeatedly refused to publish another novel, maintaining her stance for over 50 years.
Some in Monroeville subsequently question whether she was capable of now consenting to the second novel's publication.
Pulitzer Prize-winner: The new novel is first book Lee has released since 1960 classic To Kill A Mockingbird, which to date has sold an estimated 40 million copies
A longtime friend came forward claiming Lee is mostly deaf, blind and in poor health.
Others questioned whether her mental health was sound enough to make such a decision.
However, after launching an investigation, Alabama Securities Commission Director Joseph Borg said earlier this month his agency reviewed the matter at the Department of Human Resources' request, and that Lee answered questions to an investigator's satisfaction.
The case was then closed.Â
The Times reported that investigators interviewed staff at The Meadows assisted living facility where Lee resides, as well as friends and acquaintances.
A doctor who asked to remain anonymous said he had filed a complaint after knowing Lee for two years and believing her infirm.
Investigation: Earlier this month, staff at The Meadows assisted living facility where Lee resides in Monroeville, Alabama, were interviewed to see if see was compos mentis
He said he had been told she was mostly incapable of communication.
Such investigations can involve law enforcement if financial exploitation can be shown.
Actor Gregory Peck and novelist and author Harper Lee on the set of To Kill A Mockingbird in 1962
One person speaking to The Times anonymously said Lee seemed to understand the investigators and give clear responses. Â
People have argued for several different pictures of Lee: funny, depressed, witty, confused, or even varying from day to day.
Lee was last seen at the Alabama Academy of Honor Inductions in October 2009 (pictured)
She reportedly had a stroke in 2007, resulting in health and vision problems.
'It's a call only God or a doctor can make,' attorney Philip Sanchez, who was a pallbearer for older sister Alice's funeral, told the Times . 'I am more concerned that Nelle is content than the discussion of her cognizance.'
Monroeville resident surprised Lee is releasing a sequel
Accounts of Lee's mental and physical state have been contradictory over the last few years, but intensified recently after HarperCollins announced her second book, Go Set a Watchman
A friend of Lee, Wayne Flynt, said he visited her recently and found her mentally cogent.
But he agreed she had some health issues, telling him 'I'm not so sure anymore', in response to a congratulations on the new book.
Lee has only given statements about the novel through her attorney, Tonja B. Carter.
Carter handled the book deal and declined to respond to interview requests.
Lee wrote the book, Go Set A Watchman, in the 1950s.
It was first submitted to publishers before To Kill A Mockingbird and is considered her earliest work.
The manuscript was presumed lost, according to reports, but was found last year in a safety deposit box, alongside the original Mockingbird manuscript.
Investigation: Earlier this year, staff at The Meadows assisted living facility where Lee resides in Monroeville, Alabama, were interviewed to see if she was compos mentis
It centers around Mockingbird's protagonist, Scout, returning to the fictional of Maycomb after 20 years.
On Thursday, Amazon announced that Go Set A Watchman was already the No. 1 best-selling book on the website.
It is the most pre-ordered book on Amazon.com since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007 - the seventh and final novel about the British teenage boy wizard.
Amazon did not provide figures for either book but publisher Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, said it had ordered an initial U.S. print run of two million for Go Set A Watchman.Â
To Kill a Mockingbird, about racism and injustice in the American South, became an instant best-seller and has sold an estimated 40 million copies worldwide.Â
It was also made into an Oscar-winning film starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.
Lee's home town of Monroeville, Alabama, is marking Tuesday's publication by recreating a 1950s feel and organizing walking tours of the town that inspired the two novels.Â
U.S. bookstores are holding readings and some are opening at midnight.Â
Anticipation: A sign welcoming book fans to Monroeville,the hometown of To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee is seen on July 8. Lee's second book Go Set A Watchman is set for release July 14, 2015
MOST WATCHED NEWS VIDEOS
MOST READ NEWS
Rating: 100% based on 975 ratings. 91 user reviews.
0 Comments
