Robert Morgan, professor of English at Cornell University and author of the New York Times bestseller “Gap Creek,” comments on today’s announcement that Harper Lee will publish a second novel.

He says:

“It is unlikely any novel published in the past hundred years has had a greater impact on our culture than “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In both its print and film versions Harper Lee’s novel changed our national dialogue about history, race, and our legal system. Coming just at the threshold of the Civil Rights Movement in 1960, “To Kill a Mockingbird” opened minds, while entertaining and delighting multiple generations of readers.

“It is thrilling to know there is a long lost companion novel, a sequel to this landmark book. For decades Harper Lee has shone as a brilliant star in the firmament of Southern fiction as the author of a lone, unique masterpiece. To know there is another novel from the same inspired pen calls for a special celebration.“Can anyone recall a character in modern fiction more distinguished, more universally loved, than Atticus Finch? Harper Lee’s fiction made a whole nation want to feel better about itself.”

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