To Kill a Mockingbird
A classic of modern American literature that explores racial injustice and the loss of innocence.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1960 Southern Gothic novel by American author Harper Lee. It became instantly successful after its release; in the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize a year after its release, and it has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, in 1936, when she was ten.
Lee, born in 1926, grew up in Monroeville and was a close friend of writer Truman Capote. She studied at Huntingdon College and later law at the University of Alabama, writing for campus literary magazines on topics like racial injustice. After moving to New York City in 1950, she worked as a reservation clerk and began writing essays and stories about her hometown. A literary agent recommended by Capote helped her present her work to a publisher in 1957. An editor at J. B. Lippincott bought the manuscript and advised her to focus on writing full-time. With financial help from friends, Lee spent a year on a first draft titled “Go Set a Watchman.” Editor Tay Hohoff found the manuscript promising but unpolished, describing it as more a series of anecdotes than a fully realized novel. Over two and a half years, Hohoff guided Lee through multiple revisions. The title was changed from “Atticus” to *To Kill a Mockingbird* to reflect a broader story. Published on July 11, 1960, the book was expected to sell only a few thousand copies, but *Reader’s Digest Condensed Books* reprinted it in part, giving it an immediate wide audience. It has never been out of print. Lee, who gave her last interview in 1964, remained guarded about her personal life until her death in 2016. The novel was adapted into an Oscar-winning 1962 film, and a play based on it has been performed annually in Monroeville since 1990.
- published
- July 11, 1960
- author
- Harper Lee
- genre
- Southern Gothic novel, Bildungsroman
- nationality
- American
Quick Facts
- Author
- Harper Lee
- Language
- English
- Country
- United States
- Genre
- Southern Gothic · Bildungsroman
- Published
- July 11, 1960
- Publisher
- J. B. Lippincott & Co.
- Pages
- 281
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality, the novel is renowned for its warmth and humor. Atticus Finch, the narrator's father, has served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. The historian Joseph Crespino explains, 'In the twentieth century, To Kill a Mockingbird is probably the most widely read book dealing with race in America, and its main character, Atticus Finch, the most enduring fictional image of racial heroism.' As a Southern Gothic novel and Bildungsroman, the primary themes of To Kill a Mockingbird involve racial injustice and the loss of innocence. Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in the Deep South. Lessons from the book emphasize tolerance and decry prejudice. Despite its themes, To Kill a Mockingbird has been subject to campaigns for removal from public classrooms, often challenged for its use of racial epithets. In 2006, British librarians ranked the book ahead of the Bible as one 'every adult should read before they die'.
Reader's Guide
Reaction to the novel varied widely upon publication. Despite the number of copies sold and its widespread use in education, literary analysis of it is sparse. Author Mary McDonough Murphy, who collected individual impressions of To Kill a Mockingbird by several authors and public figures, calls the book 'an astonishing phenomenon'. It was adapted into the 1962 Oscar-winning film of the same name by director Robert Mulligan, with a screenplay by Horton Foote. Since 1990, a play based on the novel has been performed annually in Harper Lee's hometown. To Kill a Mockingbird was Lee's only published book until Go Set a Watchman, an earlier draft of To Kill a Mockingbird, was published on July 14, 2015. Lee continued to respond to her work's impact until her death in February 2016. She was very guarded about her personal life, and gave her last interview to a journalist in 1964.
Did You Know?
- Reader's Digest Condensed Books chose the book for reprinting in part, which gave it a wide readership immediately.
- The book was published on July 11, 1960.
- Lee attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery (1944–45), and then studied law at the University of Alabama (1945–49).
- The manuscript was originally titled 'Go Set a Watchman' before being renamed To Kill a Mockingbird.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is To Kill a Mockingbird?
It is a 1960 novel by Harper Lee that follows young Scout Finch as she witnesses racial injustice in a small Alabama town. The book balances warmth and humor with serious themes of inequality and the loss of childhood innocence.
Who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and when was it published?
American author Harper Lee wrote the novel, and it was released on July 11, 1960. It became an immediate bestseller and is now a staple reading in American middle and high schools.
What genre is To Kill a Mockingbird?
The novel is classified as Southern Gothic and also functions as a Bildungsroman, tracing the moral growth of its young narrator. It is set in the American South during the 1930s.
Why is To Kill a Mockingbird considered important?
It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and is regarded as a cornerstone of modern American literature. Its candid treatment of racial injustice, combined with an accessible and warm narrative voice, has kept it in school curricula for decades.
What does the title 'To Kill a Mockingbird' mean?
The phrase, spoken by Atticus Finch, conveys the idea that harming an innocent, defenseless being is a grave moral wrong. It serves as the novel's central metaphor for the injustice endured by its Black characters.
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