Who was Harper Lee's childhood friend and neighbour, the inspiration for the character of Dill in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
To Kill a Mockingbird gradually became more liberal in his later years. Though Scout's mother died when she was a baby, Lee was 25 when her mother, Frances Cunningham Finch, died. Lee's mother was prone to a nervous condition that rendered her mentally and emotionally absent. Lee's older brother Edwin was the inspiration for Jem. Lee modeled the character of Dill on her childhood friend, Truman Capote, known then as Truman Persons. Just as Dill lived next door to Scout during the summer, Capote lived next door to Lee with his aunts while his mother visited New York City. Like Dill, Capote had an
To Kill a Mockingbird in popular culture 50th anniversary of publication in 2010. In honor of the 50th anniversary, famous authors and celebrities as well as people close to the book's author, Harper Lee, shared their experiences with "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the book "Scout, Atticus, & Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird". The book features interviews with Mary Badham, Tom Brokaw, Oprah Winfrey, Anna Quindlen, Richard Russo, as well as Harper Lee's sister, Alice Finch Lee. The 2010 documentary film "Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & To Kill a Mockingbird" focuses on the background of the book and the film as