Charles Shield on Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee

Notes from yesterday's meeting.
Charles Shields talk at the December 15, 2010 meeting of the Lynchburg Public Library
Charles Shields lives in Barboursville, VA . He and his wife attended the meeting.

Alice (Harper Lee's sister) was born 1911. Still living as of 12/15/2010. She is a lawyer and quite protective of Nelle Harper Lee. Shields was unable to interview Harper Lee, But did have correspondence with Alice. In fact when Harper Lee discovered Shields was going to write the book, she not only refused to be interviewed, she told all her friends not to talk to him either.

Shields found a windfall in the papers that Truman Capote (Lee's next door neighbor as a child) left after his death. Harper Lee had accompanied Capote on his initial visits to interview for the 'Clutter Murders' which he eventually wrote as 'In Cold Blood'. Harper Lee's copious notes (including drawings of the Clutter farm) were part of Capote's papers.

According to Shields, Harper Lee is very wealthy. Her sister Alice, as a lawyer handled her buisness dealings. Sheilds remarked that Harper Lee gets 12% every time the movie 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is run. She has stipulated that no movie can be made of the book without Gregory Peck as Atticus. There is a play of the book, but it can only be given by amateur productions. She donates a lot of her money anonymously.

Harper Lee lives very simply and rather reclusively in Monroeville. Although because of a recent 'stroke' is in assisted living. Alice still lives in the old family home in Monroeville.

Sheilds says that the rumor is that Harper Lee has written another book, and it cannot be published until after her death.


Charles Shields has been working on a biography of Kurt Vonnegut for the past four years. The relationship with Vonnegut being the opposite of that with Lee.