Afternoons with Harper Lee

De: Wayne Flynt

Narrado por: Chris Abernathy

Imagine sitting with an esteemed writer on his or her front porch somewhere in the world and swapping life stories. Dr. Wayne Flynt got the opportunity to do just this with Nelle Harper Lee. In a friendship that blossomed over a dozen years starting when Lee relocated back to Alabama after having had a stroke, Flynt and his wife Dartie became regular visitors at the assisted living facility that was Lee's new home. And there the conversation began, with an invitation to "Come in, sit down, and stay a while."

The stories exchanged ranged widely over the topics of Alabama history, Alabama folklore, family genealogy, and American literature, of course. Wayne and his wife were often joined by Alice Lee, the oldest Lee sister, a living encyclopedia on the subject of family genealogy, and middle sister Louise Lee Conner.

The hours spent visiting, in intimate closeness, are still cherished by Wayne Flynt. They yielded revelations large and small, which have been shaped into Afternoons with Harper Lee. Part memoir, part biography, this book offers a unique window into the life and mind and preoccupations of one of America's best-loved writers. Flynt and Harper Lee and her sisters learned a great deal from each other, and though this is not a history book, their shared interest in Alabama and its history made this extraordinary work possible.

©2022 Wayne Flynt (P)2023 Tantor

An expanded rehash of his prior book

If you are going to read one of his books, this is probably the one. While you don’t really learn anything new about Harper Lee, it’s better rounded out and provides better context.

The author clearly has a deep affection for Nelle and a great reverence for Harper (an important distinction).

While I remain highly skeptical about his motivations about writing two books about a woman who fiercely guarded her privacy, I keep trying to assume best intentions;

- he knew specifically how many times (66 or 68) he’d met the author over several decades. He was a historian, so I’ll attribute it to his scholarly attention to detail vs someone who knew the retail value of those visits.

- similarly, I’m leaning into his preserving a historical, personal anecdotal record that gives fans glimpses into a beloved, complicated author. Even though as he calls out several times, she was vehemently opposed to anything resembling a biography.

- a historian who specialized in rural southern (particularly Alabama), he spends quite a lot of time providing context for the times in which TKAM took place as well as when Harper wrote the story. It’s not an attempt by an aging profession shore up his professional legacy by tying it intrinsically to one of the most successful authors in history.

People who actually knew Harper Lee are fewer and farther between. So we can be grateful for any snippets or anecdotes shared.

It just still feels a bit like several of the “insider” books written about Harper the author are at the expense of Nelle, the person.

Now, having read both of this authors books (along with most others about Harper Lee), the person I’d love to read more about is her sister Miss Alice. She truly seemed remarkable.