Posted on July 11, 2019
The first publishing of a classic occurred on this date in 1960.
There are a lot of classics that were panned (given very negative criticism) when they were first published....books such as Lord of the Flies and Lord of the Rings, Brave New World and The Grapes of Wrath, just to give a few examples. Some were rejected by 20 or more publishers before someone finally accepted them for publication. Some sold very few copies at first. Some were criticized as way too depressing and - in at least one case - the "death of literature"!
(By the way, now the four books I mentioned above - and others that were once reviled - are considered great literature; they have won highly esteemed awards; they are assigned to students to read and absorb their greatness; they are never out of print; some have even been made into movies. But - although I agree that all of the praise heaped upon these classics is deserved - I also agree with many of the negative criticisms. Some of these classic books ARE very depressing (not to mention upsetting and dystopian and grueling). Some of them suffer from pacing problems, with many readers sighing in boredom even as others pore over them and read them over and over. I guess a book can be great AND overlong; certainly a book can be powerful AND depressing!)
Anyway: July 11, 1960. To Kill a Mockingbird, a book by first-time author Harper Lee, was published in a country troubled by immense amounts of racism but - among the majority white folks - almost no desire to confront racism. The book tackled racism head-on. And rape. The publishers warned Lee that she would probably only sell a few thousand copies - but, amazingly, the book was an immediate hit and and an instant classic!
Lee had expected a quick and merciful death for her book but hoped that at least some reviewers, if not the general public, would give her a little bit of encouragement.
A little bit of encouragement?
Loads of people loved her book!
It became a best-seller!
It was chosen to be reprinted by Reader's Digest Condensed Books!
It earned the coveted Pulitzer Prize!
It was almost immediately made into an Academy-Award-winning movie!
It inspired a yearly play in Lee's hometown!
It was soon assigned to students in high schools and even middle schools, all over the country!
It earned for Lee numerous honorary degrees plus the Presidential Medal of Freedom!
It's been declared the Best Novel of the Century!
And it's never been out of print.
Lee's book made a huge splash partly because it rang true. It was loosely based on some nearby events that impacted her childhood, when she was ten years old and living in Monroeville, Alabama. Her book became popular because, even though it deals with such serious issues, it also has warmth and even humor. And it was popular because, at the time we needed a hero, and the fictional character Atticus Finch (the young narrator's father) is an uplifting and upstanding hero of morality and lawyerly skill.
I gather that Harper Lee was a bit overwhelmed by all of the attention. She accepted many awards, but she turned down numerous opportunities to speak. She maintained for decades that she would never publish another novel again.
Near the end of her 89-year-long life, in 2015, Lee allowed the first draft of her famous book, titled Go Set a Watchman, to be published. It's very strange, because it seemed to be marketed as a sequel, but publishers also acknowledged that it was indeed the first draft of the book we already know and love! Hmm...
Anyway, to me, To Kill a Mockingbird is similar to the other classics I listed above in that it deals with important issues, it explores deep-seated feelings, it uses language to not just tell a story but to move its readers. However, Mockingbird is a shorter book than many another classic; its language is clear and strong rather than going on-and-on-and-on-and-on with either poetic or pedantic excess. Most importantly, it avoids depression by conveying love and courage. It affirms hope in the goodness of people (or at least the goodness of some people!).
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