Mockingbird Songs

March 20, 2017
Southern historian Flynt (Keeping the Faith) shares his relationship with Harper Lee in a series of affectionate, playful, and mutually admiring letters. The correspondence between Flynt and Lee—known by her birth name, Nelle, to family and friends—documents the literary history of Alabama, the enduring appeal of To Kill a Mockingbird, and the vanishing art of letter writing. Mainly spanning 2004–2009, Lee’s letters are by and large discussions of infirmities, logistical details for visits, flattering remarks on Flynt’s work and family, and reports on the various honors heaped upon her. They also reveal Lee’s awe at Mockingbird’s legacy (“It’s really incredible what is read into—or what people find in—that story”), the truth behind Go Set a Watchman (published to rumors of dementia and exploitation that Flynt roundly debunks), and Lee’s—mostly scathing—opinions of literary biographies. Flynt is a fluent writer in his own right, but the main rewards here lie in Lee’s tart observations on the modern world, sly sense of humor, and wonderful turns of phrase. Letters from Lee’s sister, Alice, round out the collection, which concludes with Flynt’s eulogy for Lee, a contemplation on the themes of her classic novel. Overall, the book provides a satisfying glimpse of a famously reserved literary great. Agent: Andrew Nurnberg, Andrew Nurnberg Associates.

February 15, 2017
An insider's portrait of the beloved author.Flynt (Emeritus, History/Auburn Univ.; Keeping the Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, 2011, etc.) received his first letter from Nelle Harper Lee (1926-2016) in 1992. Over the years, they became dear friends, and this book collects their correspondence. Flynt provides revealing portraits of the very private Nelle and her sisters, Alice and Louise, and her close relationship with the Flynt family. Like the bird that inhabits the title of her famous novel, Lee was "complicated and independent" and highly protective of her family. However, as Flynt found out, once she could trust him, she was neither cold nor uncommunicative but rather "empathetic, warm, nonjudgmental, and a wonderful conversationalist." Her letters are often chatty, funny, and satirical. The correspondence explores racial issues, personal matters, and the state of Lee's health, but there's also a good deal of material literary buffs and fans of Lee will enjoy. Her "literary idol" was Jane Austen. She loved Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It and read C.S. Lewis "voraciously." Eudora Welty, she writes, was "my goddess, and with Faulkner, I think are the TWO." Although Lee was ill, she did approve the publication of Go Set a Watchman and was especially pleased with its sales and the money she was making. Even though she was Truman Capote's "oldest friend," she knew he told others he had a hand in writing To Kill a Mockingbird, which grew out of a short story she had written. With a touch of glee, she writes, "I did something Truman could not forgive: I wrote a novel that sold." He "nursed his envy for more than 20 years." Lee calls biographer Charles Shields, whom she refused to cooperate with, a "creep," and she was livid when she found out he had included her New York City address in it: "bush-league." A thin but welcome snapshot of the 'real' Lee.

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April 1, 2017

Flynt (emeritus history, Auburn Univ., AL) is the author of 13 books on Southern history, politics, and religion. This volume, which celebrates his 20-plus year (which included a break of 12 years) friendship with (Nelle) Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, formed late in both of their lives, is largely an epistolary memoir. The historian and the novelist wrote to each other about friends and family, mutually shared interests such as Alabama history and literature, and matters of health. As their relationship progressed, so did the intertwining of their families. Flynt and his wife, Dartie, came to know Lee's sisters and nephew; their son named his daughter Harper, after the author. Flynt's discretion, as a friend and as the Baptist minister Lee trusted to speak at her memorial service, serves his friend well. VERDICT With this work, Flynt offers an overview of Lee's life with admiration, humor, and palpable love. [See Prepub Alert, 11/27/16.]--Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

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