Harper Lee was honored by presidents, writers, artists and Americans across the US after her death on Friday, which was marked by mourning for the novelist whom Barack Obama declared “changed America for the better” with her work.
“When Harper Lee sat down to write To Kill a Mockingbird, she wasn’t seeking awards or fame. She was a country girl who just wanted to tell an honest story about life as she saw it,” the Obama family said in a statement.
“But what that one story did, more powerfully than one hundred speeches possibly could, was change the way we saw each other, and then the way we saw ourselves,” they continued. “Through the uncorrupted eyes of a child, she showed us the beautiful complexity of our common humanity, and the importance of striving for justice in our own lives, our communities, and our country.”
Lee was hailed as a brilliant writer and an extraordinary woman by those who paid tribute to her – a crowd that included the friends who knew her and those who were inspired by her.
“Knowing Nelle these past few years has been not just an utter delight but an extraordinary privilege,” said her literary agent, Andrew Nurnberg, in a statement.“When I saw her just six weeks ago, she was full of life, her mind and mischievous wit as sharp as ever. She was quoting Thomas More and setting me straight on Tudor history. We have lost a great writer, a great friend and a beacon of integrity.”
The president and publisher of HarperCollins US, Michael Morrison, also commented on the loss of one of the publishing house’s most famous authors.
“The world knows Harper Lee was a brilliant writer but what many don’t know is that she was an extraordinary woman of great joyfulness, humility and kindness. She lived her life the way she wanted to – in private – surrounded by books and the people who loved her. I will always cherish the time I spent with her,” Morrison said.
Aaron Sorkin, the writer of The West Wing and The Social Network who last week announced he was working on a Broadway adaption of Lee’s Pulitzer-winning 1960 novel about racial prejudice in the American south, told the Guardian: “Like millions of others, I was saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Harper Lee, one of America’s most beloved authors.”
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to adapt her seminal novel for the stage.” Sorkin added in his statement.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who has spoken previously about how Lee was one of two interviews she’d failed to get, recounted a line the author told her over a lunch.
Harper Lee my 1st favorite author! I always wanted to interview her. She said" honey I already said everything I had to say". #RIPHarperLee
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) February 19, 2016
Ava DuVernay, director of the civil rights drama Selma, shared a still from the 1962 film adaption of To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck on Twitter.
“You never really understand a person… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Thank you, #HarperLee. pic.twitter.com/8OuUiet7IL
— Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) February 19, 2016
Former US president George W Bush, who awarded Lee the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 in one of the most public outings of her later years, released a statement mourning the “legendary novelist and lovely lady”.
“Harper Lee was ahead of her time, and her masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird prodded America catch up with her,” Bush said.
“Laura [Bush] and I are grateful for Harper Lee and her matchless contributions to humanity and to the character of our country,” he added.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, also paid tribute to the author with one of her own quotes.
Rest in peace, Harper Lee. "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 19, 2016
Science fiction author Stephen King acknowledged Lee’s great contribution to Truman Capote’s non-fiction crime classic In Cold Blood.
Let's celebrate the life of Harper Lee, who wrote an American classic and helped her friend Truman Capote write another.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 19, 2016
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia revealed how To Kill a Mockingbird had an impact on his own career.
Harper Lee's lessons of race and dignity inspired me to become a civil rights lawyer. Her work endures and will inspire generations to come
— Senator Tim Kaine (@timkaine) February 19, 2016
Young adult fiction author John Green, whose books include The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska, recounted a story on Twitter about receiving a signed copy of his book from the notoriously media-shy author after the birth of his son.
When my son Henry was born, Ms. Lee signed a copy of Looking for Alaska for him with the inscription, "Welcome to the world Henry Atticus."
— John Green (@johngreen) February 19, 2016
That book is my most prized possession. Ms. Lee lived a private life, but she was quietly and extraordinarily generous.
— John Green (@johngreen) February 19, 2016
