To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Ala. and educated at Huntington College, the University of Alabama, and Oxford University. She won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for her only book, To Kill a Mockingbird, which also won Best Sellers' Paperback of the Year Award in 1962. The book, a mainstay on school reading lists, was adapted as a feature film in 1962 (starring Gregory Peck, who won a Best Actor award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch), and a London stage play in 1987. Lee was a lifelong friend of the author Truman Capote and she assisted him in researching his bestselling book, In Cold Blood. Lee's only published works in the 35 years since Mockingbird appeared have been a few short articles in various magazines. She travels extensively and still resides in Monroeville.