The publishing industry woke up to news that Pulitzer Prize winning author Harper Lee died this morning. Many people have commented on the sad news including her publisher, her agent and an admirer at Amazon.
“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,” stated Michael Morrison, president and publisher of HarperCollins US General Books Group and Canada. “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.”
“Knowing Nelle these past few years has been not just an utter delight but an extraordinary privilege,” Lee’s agent Andrew Nurnberg said 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.”
“Harper Lee was one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century,” said Sara Nelson, editorial director of Amazon Books and Kindle, in a statement. “Her depiction in To Kill a Mockingbird of the pre-Civil Rights era South changed lives but it was her evocation of childhood innocence and its loss that broke our hearts. Whatever your feelings about Go Set a Watchman, there is no denying that Lee’s impact on American literature will last for generations.”