I wonder if the literati will be catty if the book's a literary success and wonder aloud, "Did Truman write this one, too?"
(For background see
answers.yahoo.com.)
I'm a native of Alabama, not that I'm especially proud of the fact, but when I was very young, the rumors about Harper Lee
never being a legitimately published author were extremely loud and the basis was extremely compelling.
Consequently, most Alabama schools did NOT have TKAMB on their required reading lists.
It was not taught, only discussed briefly, and basically, we were told to " watch the movie". Capote's known works certainly were read and discussed at length, especially in college Am. Lit. classes.
Take what you want to from articles about her reclusiveness and refusal to give interviews for all but a few months of her mentally competent years ( there is a sad mental illness history with Lee as well but I don't think the mainstream know about that either).
This so called "new but lost for 50 years book" has all the earmarks of another huge question mark and possible fraudulent authorship on it for me.
HOW do you lose a manuscript for over 50 years, then it's found when the " author" is so elderly, blind, deaf, and in an Assisted Living facility?
She's had a stroke, is blind, deaf, and was cared for ( ??) by her 103 year old, newly deceased sister. IF there had been yet another tome about the Finches written, I do believe Lee would have spoken of it during the years when she DID give some interviews. It certainly would have quelled some of the Capote authorship rumors if she was the one who told of another manuscript, missing or NOT. However, if she ever mentioned a " missing" manuscript, it's news to me.
I think this will turn out to be a total fiasco one way or another. Also, because I do think there's possible ( note I said " possible") fraud involved re: the authorship, I won't pay to read " the lost manuscript" when published. Library, maybe, just like I read TKAMB on library status and do not own a copy.
I'm so sorry to be a dissenting voice in all the cheering and thankfulness, but Harper Lee was really NOT who people thought she ever was. She was a mentally fragile wannabe who hung on to Truman Capote and other famous Southern authors until they shook her off in one way or another, Capote probably being the most cruel and public in his rejection. Lots of area information that never made national circulation.. just saying, please take all this with a GOS.
