Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman

The HarperCollins cover of Go Set a Watchman
Author Harper Lee
Country United States
Language English
Published July 14, 2015 (US)
Preceded by To Kill a Mockingbird

Go Set a Watchman is a novel by Harper Lee which is slated to be published on July 14, 2015, by HarperCollins in the United States and William Heinemann in the United Kingdom. It was written before Lee's only published novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960). The title comes from Isaiah 21:6: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth."[1] It alludes to Scout's view of her father, Atticus Finch, as the moral compass ("watchman") of Maycomb.[2]

Plot

Harper Lee in 1962

The novel follows an adult Scout Finch who travels from New York to Maycomb, Alabama, to visit her father, Atticus Finch, 20 years after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird. According to the publisher, Scout "is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father's attitude toward society and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood."[3] Go Set a Watchman includes many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird.[4]

Development history

Though the book has been characterized in media reports as a sequel to Lee's best-selling novel, Go Set a Watchman was written in the mid-1950s, before she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, which was published in 1960. She set it aside when her editor suggested that she write another novel from the young Scout Finch's perspective. The manuscript was then lost for many years, until being rediscovered by her lawyer in the fall of 2014. It will be published as originally written, with no revisions.[3][5]

The novel is 304 pages and will be published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, in the United States and Canada, and by Heinemann, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth (except Canada).[6] The first printing will be two million copies. The publishers do not expect Lee, who is 88 years old and lives in assisted living in Monroeville, Alabama, to engage in a publicity tour to support the book.[3]

Controversy

Some publications have called the timing of the book "suspicious", citing Lee's declining health, statements she had made over several decades that she would not write or release another novel, and the death of her sister (and caregiver) just two months before the announcement.[7][8] NPR reported on the news of her new book release, with circumstances "raising questions about whether she is being taken advantage of in her old age."[9] Some publications have even called for fans to boycott the work.[10] News sources, including NPR,[9] BBC News[11] and Jezebel,[12] have reported that the conditions surrounding the release of the book are unclear and posit that Lee may not have had full control of the decision. Investigators for the state of Alabama interviewed Lee in response to a suspicion of elder abuse in relation to the publication of the book.[13]

Conversely, historian and Lee's longtime friend Wayne Flynt told the Associated Press that the "narrative of senility, exploitation of this helpless little old lady is just hogwash. It's just complete bunk." Flynt said he found Lee capable of giving consent and believes no one will ever know for certain the terms of said consent.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Matthews, Michelle (February 3, 2015). "Harper Lee's new book is the talk of the town in her native Monroeville". AL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ Garrison, Greg. "'Go Set a Watchman': What does Harper Lee's book title mean?". AL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Second Harper Lee Novel to Be Published in July". ABC News. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  4. ↑ Alter, Alexandra (February 3, 2015). "Harper Lee, Author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' Is to Publish a Second Novel". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  5. ↑ Dundas, Deborah (February 3, 2015). "Harper Lee to publish new book in July – her first since To Kill A Mockingbird". Toronto Star.
  6. ↑ World Archipelago. "Press Releases Details". harpercollins.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ Jones, Malcom (February 4, 2015). "Harper Lee Promises a New Novel—or Does She?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Ortberg, Mallory (February 4, 2015). "Questions I Have About The Harper Lee Editor Interview". The Toast. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Neary, Lynn (February 4, 2015). "Harper Lee's Friend Says Author Is Hard Of Hearing, Sound Of Mind". NPR. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  10. ↑ Sahagian, Jacqueline (February 3, 2015). "Why Fans Shouldn't Read Harper Lee's New Book". Wall St. Cheat Sheet. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Harper Lee: 'Trade frenzy' and 'concern' over new book". BBC News. February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  12. ↑ Davies, Madeleine (February 3, 2015). "Be Suspicious of the New Harper Lee Novel". Jezebel. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  13. ↑ Kovaleski, Serge F.; Alter, Alexandra; Crossley Howard, Jennifer (March 11, 2015). "Harper Lee’s Condition Debated by Friends, Fans and Now State of Alabama". The New York Times. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ Chandler, Kim (February 7, 2015). "Friend: Harper Lee was fine the day before sequel announced". MSN. Associated Press. Retrieved February 8, 2015.

Bibliography

External links