The lure of a programme promising to hunt down a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who had written one extraordinary book then retreated into silence would have been irresistible. But Smith was no door-stepper and to harass the hospitable residents of Monroeville would have been in crass bad taste.Dude likes his recluses. He must be pissed he missed out on JD Salinger. Hey, he can still do one on my sex life.
Instead he was happy to let ‘Nelle’ Harper Lee haunt his search, the enigmatic author pulling the strings offstage as she gave permission for key associates to fill in the gaps in her story. Her indomitable sister, Miss Alice, at 98 still a practising lawyer with a voice that could slice witnesses in two, was just one of an army of redoubtable steel magnolias marking Smith’s boundaries.
On a side note, it seems like only English people can do invasive documentaries like this, as they're always so calm and respectful. Some American would be banging on her door screaming "Y Haaaaaaaaaarper, you fucking who-er, get out here!!!"
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