Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEW YORK (AP) — Fifty-five years after the release of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," a second novel from author Harper Lee is going to be published. It's called "Go Set a Watchman."
She actually wrote it before "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- but it is essentially a sequel to that acclaimed novel, which has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
"Go Set a Watchman" takes place in the mid-1950s, some 20 years after "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- at around the same time Lee was writing it. It features the character Scout as an adult woman.
In a statement issued by the publisher, Lee says when she completed "Go Set a Watchman," her editor was "taken by the flashbacks to Scout's childhood," and encouraged her to write a novel from the point of view of the young Scout. That novel became "To Kill a Mockingbird," and Lee put the other one aside.
She says she hadn't realized it still existed, and was "surprised and delighted" when a friend discovered it.
The publisher says it was found "affixed to an original typescript" of "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Actor Robert Duvall -- who played Boo Radley in the movie that was made from that book -- says in a statement that the film was a "pivotal point" for him, and that he's "looking forward" to the new book.
%@AP Links
APPHOTO NY123: FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2007, file photo, Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To kill a Mockingbird," smiles during a ceremony honoring the four new members of the Alabama Academy of Honor at the Capitol in Montgomery, Ala. Publisher Harper announced Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, that "Go Set a Watchman," a novel Lee completed in the 1950s and put aside, will be released July 14. It will be her second published book. (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File) (21 Aug 2007)
<<APPHOTO NY123 (08/21/07)££
APPHOTO NY122A: FILE - This March 14, 1963 file photo shows Harper Lee, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "To kill a Mockingbird." Publisher Harper announced Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, that "Go Set a Watchman," a novel Lee completed in the 1950s and put aside, will be released July 14. It will be her second published book. (AP Photo, File) (14 Mar 1963)
<<APPHOTO NY122A (03/14/63)££
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
