On Harper Lee’s 100th birthday: How the author became Alabama’s most famous native

The late Harper Lee, known in her hometown of Monroeville, Ala., as “Nelle,” was not a recluse, despite reports to the contrary. Instead, she hated publicity and shied away from interviews. But the acclaimed author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” who died in 2016 and who would have been 100 years old on April 28, 2026, was no hermit. She had dozens of friends in Monroeville and in New York, where she moved in the 1950s to become an author.