If you have read the novel To Kill a Mockingbird you all may know Harper Lee. Most of the fans of Harper Lee know that she was born in a small town “Alabama”. Her father was a statesman, an attorney, and a newspaper editor. Truman Capote was a good friend of hers.

Here, what’s sad is that the author who is so close to us, who won the Pulitzer Prize for writing this one classical novel passed away on 19th February 2016. While we grieve for her death, we may also want to know her more. Don’t we? Here are 10 interesting facts about Harper Lee you might want to know about:

Facts About Harper Lee and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

10) Was “To Kill a Mockingbird” her first novel? No!

Yes, it is true! Before publishing “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, Harper Lee was working on another novel. The name of the novel was “Go Set a Watchman”. She gave it to the publisher in 1957 but when the book wasn’t accepted she kept it aside and started working on To Kill a Mocking Bird.

9) Mockingbird made Harper Lee Wealthy

So why did Lee stopped publishing after just writing one book? Money! Statistics show that around 40 million copies have been sold. Moreover, Harper Lee used to get $3 million every year from the sale of the book, with that much money coming in, she does not need to do more.

8) The lifestyle of Harper Lee

Well, she’s a rich woman; she should be drowning in the pool of money. As a matter of fact, this was not the case. Lee led a simple lifestyle, she lived in a normal apartment in New York and mostly did her shopping from Wall Mart or Vanity Fair Outlet. So where did all her money go? Charities; Lee used to give funds to organizations that had charitable causes.

7) “To Kill a Mockingbird” was sold tremendously

The book “To Kill a Mockingbird” became a classic. Globally, its 40 million copies were sold since the time it was published in 1960. There are around forty languages to which the book got translated.

6) Harper’s Lee real name is Nelle Harper Lee

Don’t call me Harper, call me Nelle is what Harper used to say. She was named Nelle in the honor of her grandmother Ellen. The point of concern is why is she called Harper worldwide and not Nelle, well Harper did not want people to confuse Nelle with Nellie so she stuck to the name Harper Lee.

5) The Truman Rumor

Truman Capote was Lee’s neighbors, they were childhood friends. There was once a rumor that the real mind behind the book was Truman and not Harper, well on the other side Harper never wrote another book after this one, so we really don’t know.

4) Harper Lee used to read Harry Potter

Although Lee was not much of a contemporary fiction fan, she enjoyed reading J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. She enjoyed them and became an instant fan of the series.

3) Harper Lee wrote the book Slowly and Painfully

Lee admitted that it was not easy writing the book. She would spend around 6 to 12 hours a day on her desk, thinking about what she wants to write and was able to come up with one manuscript text per day. She believes that there is no glamor in writing, it’s a tough job.

2) Harper Lee was a Happy Person

She loved to laugh. The girl was not as boring as one might take her. She was a delightful person.

1) She was not a Typical Teenager

Lee was not like any teenager who preferred dating and hanging out. She had very little concerns about fashion, makeup or dates; all the while making herself into a genuine being.

Other than the above facts, there are some more interesting things about Harper Lee. As mentioned above, she was a happy person, she also loved to laugh a lot. She also started writing a true-crime book of her own. Lee played an important role in a crime masterpiece of Truman Capote. Truman Capote was her childhood friend. Harper Lee was an ardent college football fan and she was an Anglophile. Eudora Welty, Thomas Macaulay, William Faulkner, and Jane Austen were the favorite authors of Lee.

Harper Lee retired from the limelight after a few months when her novel got a lot of fame. Because of this, some people called her a mysterious American literary figure. However, lots of book lovers actually knew the story about her retreating from the public eye. This is something natural and other authors can also relate.

Do you know any more interesting facts about Harper Lee and her book? If yes, then do not hesitate to share them with the readers in the comment section below.