AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - In reading passages from a new book of letters between historian Wayne Flynt and author Harper Lee, Flynt played the role of himself while Mary Ann Dell played Lee.
The two took the stage at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center on Wednesday to read from “Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee.” After a brief introduction, Flynt and Dell read aloud portions of the letters included in the book that was released last week.
Though sparse at first, letters between the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and historian Flynt grew more frequent over time as their late-life friendship developed over nearly 25 years.
Flynt, a professor emeritus in Auburn University’s history department and author of 13 books, chose to limit his own words about Lee on Wednesday and decided to “let Nelle Harper Lee speak for herself.”
The first letter was addressed to Flynt, who had_along with his wife Dorothy_developed a friendship with Lee’s sister Louise Conner. Flynt had written an op-ed column about the three Lee sisters that was published across Alabama, and Lee wrote to thank him.
“To learn that a man of your gifts, by faith in one.novel (“To Kill a Mockingbird”), chose to make his life in Alabama makes the author humble indeed. I can only say thank you for honoring the state with your presence. Thank you for the most kind article. Thank you for the generosity that prompted it,” Lee said in the 1992 letter.
It continued, pointing out “one small error” Flynt had made. Lee jested that his mistake that Lee was older than Conner, when she was actually the youngest of the siblings, made “Louise chortle with delight.”
It was years before the two would exchange handwritten notes again, but in the late 2000s they became more friendly. In March 2006, Flynt signed a letter, “Your friend and not acquaintance, Wayne.” In July 2006, Lee finished a letter with, “No other news. I just love you. Your boring friend, Nelle.”
Flynt ended the readings overviewing conspiracies surrounding the publication of Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman,” published in 2015, that Lee was incapable of giving informed consent of the publication of the book.
“After listening to the letters toward the end of her life, I will let you make your own conclusion,” Flynt said. “The reason I wrote this book, despite the fact that I told her I would never write about her in her lifetime . it is because I thought it was high time for Nelle Harper Lee to tell her own story.”
The program ended with an announcement that Auburn University established the Wayne Flynt Endowed Graduate Student Research Award in Alabama History and Culture. The annual award will be first given next year to students writing on the history and culture of Alabama.
“Most importantly, it will keep the legacy of Wayne Flynt within our midst,” said Mark Wilson, director of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities.
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Information from: Opelika-Auburn News, https://www.oanow.com/
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