By Sharanya Gopinathan
Back when Go Set a Watchman, the sequel to Harper Lee’s beloved classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, released, there was lots of mystery around the discovery of the manuscript, and discussions around the ethics of publishing it. Throughout her life, Harper Lee had maintained that she had no intentions of publishing a manuscript after To Kill a Mockingbird. Her sister Alice had been handling Harper Lee’s affairs, but after Alice’s death, these duties were taken over by a lawyer, Tonja Carter. Three months after Harper Lee’s death, it was announced that the sequel would be published, and that the author had changed her mind on the subject before her death.
This slightly murky backstory could also be the reason why people are surprised that Harper Lee’s estate has now given permission for To Kill a Mockingbird to be turned into a graphic novel. It will be illustrated by Fred Fordham, and published by William Heinemann, who also published the original novel. The graphic novel is set to be released in November 2018.
But on second thought, maybe this new graphic novel isn’t that surprising after all. After her death, Harper Lee’s estate, led by Tonja Carter, has begun a variety of new initiatives and tourist attractions based on the book and the author, including a museum and the creation of replicas of the houses mentioned in the book. We can’t say for sure what Lee would have thought of it, but there’s enough evidence to hint that she wouldn’t have been a fan.
None of these guilty feelings, however, stopped me from reading Go Set a Watchman, and I’ve the strongest feeling I’ll cave and buy the new graphic novel despite.
Meanwhile, here’s our starter kit of graphic novels by women. Enjoy!