29 ms·
Harper Lee has died
- rm_-rf_slash 11y agoThey say an artist is never appreciated until they die, but I believe Harper Lee was one of the most rightfully appreciated authors of our time. Most of us have read To Kill a Mockingbird, at least, and for those of us who did, it was a powerful indictment of America's eternal and original sin of race and exploitation. A book or a death changes little in a broad cultural context, but it serves to remind us how we can and should all be better to each other. Rest in peace.
- fbernier 11y agoSad news, but on a totally unrelated note: Why is the date in the URL set to tomorrow?
- k-mcgrady 11y agoIt's showing correct (Feb 19th) for me.
- sb057 11y agoI'm assuming its to be published in the next edition of the NYT, which would be the 20th.
- CodeWithCoffee 11y agoA quick check of the stories on the front page suggests this is the case; editorial content and news covering yesterday's events is all /19 (today) whereas today's news and online content (for tomorrow's paper) is all /20 (tomorrow).
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- adamfeldman 11y agoIt may be dated based on the expected print publication date.
- newscracker 11y ago> Until last year, Lee had been something of a one-book literary wonder. To Kill a Mockingbird, her 1961 epic narrative about small-town lawyer Atticus Finch’s battle to save the life of a black resident threatened by a racist mob, sold more than 40 million copies around the world and earned her a Pulitzer prize. That book by the "one-book literary wonder" was unforgettable for many things, including the fact that it was one of the first books I read twice. I'd say that that one work that stood strong for decades across generations should probably not be used to diminish the author using terms like "one-book wonder".
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- grecy 11y agoTo Kill A Mockingbird is still one of my all time favorite books and movies. Sad news. Has anyone read the newly released book? Thoughts?
- tonyedgecombe 11y agoI won't read it because it seems likely she didn't give permission for its publication.
- baldfat 11y agoShe wrote one Great Novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" lets focus on the greatness of that work right now.
- jandrese 11y agoThe Onion was on point with Watchman: http://www.theonion.com/article/harper-lee-announces-third-novel-my-excellent-care-50840 http://www.theonion.com/article/harper-lee-announces-third-n...
- PaulRobinson 11y agoIf you want to understand the process she went through to get to Mockingbird, read Watchman. She wrote it whilst being urged on by several friends and when she took it to her agent was told that she had some good ideas, but it was stronger in some parts than others. She should focus entirely on Scout's youth, and to deal with Atticus' battle with racial tensions in that town. She went away, produced Mockingbird, the rest is history. You can see the process right there in Watchman. If you try and read them as a pair, you will get annoyed: anecdotes repeated in both have key facts changed that change their meaning and the characters involved in them. It's not as polished, tuned or as well paced as Mockingbird. It's a piece of work that pays testament to a talented writer finding her voice, but hasn't quite found it yet. And for that, it's fine. But don't read it if you aren't interested in the writing process and just want a good story: just re-read Mockingbird instead.
- haberman 11y agoI loved "To Kill a Mockingbird" so much when I read it as a kid. The moral of the story seemed really obvious. In the last few years I came across this article which blew my mind and changed my perspective about the book's meaning a lot: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/the-courthouse-ring http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/the-courthouse-...
- Outdoorsman 11y agoMany have said To Kill A Mockingbird made Harper Lee a "one hit wonder"...but, wow...the hit was a home run... Brilliant characterization--Scout, Jem, Dill, Atticus, Calpurnia, Boo Radley, the Ewells, Tom Robinson... The setting...the Deep South, small town flavor, racial tensions... This novel has it all...the Great American Novel, personified... Sad news...great writer...
- gavman 11y agoHarper Lee was a "one hit wonder", but the "one hit" was more than enough in terms of contribution to American literature. Very sad news indeed.
- tamana 11y agoCare to provide an abstract of that article?
- 11y ago
- libeclipse 11y ago"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This is sad news indeed.
- ck2 11y agoAuthor ONLY of "to kill a mockingbird" (seriously, she only ever wrote one book, weirdness)
- chippy 11y agoShe wrote other things as well as her latest book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Works https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Works
- seeing 11y agoHarper Lee's words: all I want to be is the Jane Austen of South Alabama.
- ldd 11y ago“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” That is one of my favorite quotes of all times, specifically taking into account the setting of the book.
- 3minus1 11y agoI prefer George R.R. Martin “Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”
- dvt 11y agoNot trying to be some literature snob, but GRRM can't hold a candle to the profound impact Harper Lee has had on American culture as a whole (not to mention that she won a Pulitzer and a Presidential Freedom Medal). It's almost insulting even bringing up a quote from ASOIAF.
- petepete 11y agoNot snobby in the slightest. A friend put it best: "George RR Martin is a great storyteller, but he's no great writer"
- tgb 11y agoHmf, until friend has a Pulitzer, I can't be bothered to read their quote.
- Outdoorsman 11y agoAgreed... Humans loves a narrative... Great storytellers often succeed financially when writers of interpretive fiction--literature--barely scrape by... Each type of author has a place...some readers want entertainment...other readers prefer entertainment coupled with edification... I think the best novels provide both...Harper Lee did just that...
- therealdrag0 11y ago
- huntleydavis 11y agoWhile this is tragic news, this really doesn't feel at all correlated to HackerNews.
- brudgers 11y agoIf people find the submission intellectually gratifying then it conforms to the spirit of Hacker News submission guidelines. Given the impact of Harper Lee's writing on US culture, it is not surprising if many people do.
- huntleydavis 11y agoI suppose the free form nature of HackerNews and the wide sprawling community make a lot of topics fair game. I recant my sentiment.
- preordained 11y agoI hear that sentiment a lot. Personally I'm glad that we bring important cultural happenings and such in as topics of discussion. What is society if not the most complex project that we've ever feigned to attempt to grok on hacker news. These are the global variables that affect everything.
- mignev 11y agosad news :(
- 616c 11y agoNothing blew my mind in the last few years like discovering how close Harper Lee and Truman Capote were, as they were both authors I idolized at different stages of my life. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/books/harper-lee-and-truman-capote-a-collaboration-in-mischief.html http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/books/harper-lee-and-truma... And that Dill was partially based on her childhod friendship with Capote. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Early_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper_Lee#Early_life This seems to be well established now in pop culture and art, but I was completely unaware when I first heard. The fact the world has such inspired people, despite their stressful surroundings was a blessing to us all in the form of great art. Goodbye, Harper.
- guylepage3 11y agoOh wow. I had no idea they were friends. Thank you for posting this article.
- MuEta 11y agoAlthough I'm extremely skeptical of the claims, there are theories that TKAMB was actually written by Capote. Interesting to read the evidence, but definitely on the less probable side of things.
- MuEta 11y agoAlthough I'm extremely skeptical of the claims, there are theories that TKAMB was actually written by Capote. Interesting to read the evidence, but definitely on the less probable side of things.
- morley 11y agoHarper Lee (played by the great Catherine Keener) is a major supporting character in the film Capote.
- orbitingpluto 11y agoIt is some small comfort that her legacy cannot be further tarnished under the fiction of her consent.
- padobson 11y agoAtticus Finch is maybe the greatest character in American literature. His courage in standing against racial injustice is notable, but the true depth of the character comes from his quiet strength and his unabashed dedication to his family and his fellow man. He's always there for his children, tucking them in at night and encouraging them to be good to each other and their neighbors. He's always ready to impart wisdom and morality upon them in the most gentle manner. But still there's that quiet strength, as in the scene when he shoots the rabid dog. Watching the scene through Scout's eyes, a powerful figure comes alive in the person of Atticus for the first time - showing us that a strong man is prepared to stand up both against moral and physical oppression. As role models go, you could do a lot worse than Atticus Finch.
- hn9780470248775 11y agoI take it you haven't read "Go Set a Watchman"...
- qq66 11y agoEspecially given the extremely shady way in which "Go Set a Watchman" was released, possibly against Harper Lee's desires, it would be fair to say that "Atticus Finch" should refer to the character in "To Kill a Mockingbird."
- wetmore 11y agoFor sure. Having read a fair amount about the circumstances surrounding the release of Go Set a Watchman, it's sad to see that the widespread opinion is that it should be canon.
- bfrancom01 11y agoI couldn't stand most of the books I had to read in high school, especially To Kill a Mockingbird. Others included The Great Gatsby, & Lord of the Flies. All awful books IMO, & still dreadfully awful. I can't believe American culture thought (still thinks?) those books were good. Luckily I read books that I liked on the side to make up for it.
- nekopa 11y agoWould you care to say what books you think are good?
- douche 11y agoI have to agree. I wonder if part of the general illiteracy is a reaction to the dreck that we are forced to read in school. At least in high school English classes you get to read some legitimate literature. In middle school, I remember being subjected to an unending string of aggressively mediocre young-adult historical fiction and science fiction that featured teen-aged girls as protagonists by my all-female English teachers. Hard to summon much enthusiasm for that kind of thing when Arthur Clarke, Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Asimov, Ben Bova, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Conan Doyle, Tolkien, Robert Jordan and George RR Martin beckon.
- rayiner 11y agoTolkien is dreck. There I said it. It took my over a year to read Fellowship of the Ring because of how indescribably boring it is.
- foldr 11y agoDreck isn't really fair. Tolkien definitely isn't a great prose writer. But you only have to look at his imitators to see how much worse LOTR could have been without Tolkien's uniquely scholarly take on the elves+dwarves+dragons formula. (A formula which he partly invented.) edit: I suppose I should add a note indicating that I'm aware of the absence of dragons in LOTR.
- 11y ago
- CaiGengYang 11y agoGreat book by a legendary author ---- I still remember I had to read the book during my secondary school days for my literature classes and we were tested on the material in the book during our finals. I really enjoyed the book (very poignant ending) and I would read the book multiple again and again during my free time. A timeless storybook about bravery and courage in the face of blatant racism and discrimination. As a society, we should work towards ending racism and discrimination in all spheres and this book will surely play a part towards this goal ...
- guylepage3 11y agoHarper Lee was one of my favorite authors when I was a child. A true legend.
- TheVerdict 11y agoRIP Harper Lee. Your book had a profound impact in my life.
- jamesDGreg 11y ago"Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."