I knew Harper Lee was alive from listening to the excellent audiobook On Writing, authored and narrated by Stephen King. He stated his astonishment that To Kill a Mockingbird was the only novel she ever wrote, but in a manner that never conveyed her gender (that I recall, anyway).
I even read the book years before without realizing that the author was a woman. It's the only assigned reading I have ever had that I couldn't put down.
If I'm not mistaken (and I'm having trouble finding a reference, so I might be), part of the reason that she chose to publish as Harper Lee (as opposed to including her full name, Nelle) was to make her name more androgynous. Basically the same concept as Jews changing their names in Hollywood, but because of sexism instead of antisemitism.
I knew Harper Lee was alive from listening to the excellent audiobook On Writing, authored and narrated by Stephen King. He stated his astonishment that To Kill a Mockingbird was the only novel she ever wrote, but in a manner that never conveyed her gender (that I recall, anyway).
I even read the book years before without realizing that the author was a woman. It's the only assigned reading I have ever had that I couldn't put down.