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| Marjorie Rawlings at Cross Creek |
My two heroines are Harper Lee and Marjorie Rawlings. They
came along at a time when women in literature were still like children, seen
but not heard. Their contributions to the literary world made them giants among
us, but they spoke softly and both carried big sticks. Marjorie was a pioneer
in more ways than one. Her move to Florida, her gutsy decision to stick it out
when her husband left, and her high ethical standards make her a giant among
writers. She was also the point man-(or woman)-in the battle for literary control
in a non-fiction work. Her publisher left her out there to swing,( they had big
Ernest Hemingway to defend), and she was left to defend herself against a
long-running libel suit that drained her both emotionally and financially.
Harper Lee worked with Truman Capote, behind the scenes, to
help him write his masterpiece, In Cold Blood. And then, in her own right, she
published one of the most beloved books of the last 50 years, To Kill a
Mockingbird. I think it still resonates because, from the time the story was
published, it immediately captured one of the most important eras in our
country, the Civil Rights movement. And it became timeless, sadly, because we
are still fighting the battles of racial discrimination fifty years out.
Unfortunately, those of us who were raised in the South have seen evidence of
the naked prejudice and hatred portrayed in the book and the film. Harper Lee
put it on the table, on display for all to see. And she did it in the most
masterful way possible, telling the story through the eyes of a child.
In The Yearling, Marjorie Rawlings also gave us a timeless
portrait of a people and a culture that will soon be extinct. She preserved the
culture and ways of Cross Creek, and did so in the most careful and reverent
way possible. She, too, tells the story of the Creek through the eyes of a
child.
Both women have served as role models in their lives as
well. Marjorie insisted that her home would not be in any way, shape, or form
used to sell items for profit. Her home is preserved in much the same condition
as it was the day she died. Upon her death it became a part of the University
of Florida, as she donated her property to the University system. There are other support groups for Ms.
Rawlings’ work, one being The Friends of Marjorie K Rawlings Farm. I, too, am a
friend of Marjorie. She speaks to me all these years later, eschewing the
commercialism and material gain that is so rampant in our culture and, indeed,
in our own literary world.
*Harper Lee, still living yet elderly, (Died 2/25/2016), never gave interviews
or took gratuitous promotional forays to promote her book. Instead, she made a
conscious decision to live quietly and fairly normally in the small town in
Alabama where she had always lived. There were no pretensions or glitzy book
tours to sell her work. She let it stand and speak for itself. And by all
accounts, has led a happy and well-adjusted existence far from the public eye.
That was her choice.
When I went to a writing conference recently, there was a
young man pushing his book. He put up a list of the ten best ways to promote
your work. I was the only one who laughed out loud when he displayed, “Good
Writing” as the Number Five best way to sell a book! He did seem to get the
irony in the statement, but still insisted that the best way to promote your
work was to have an eye-catching cover for your text.
I love these two women. They were against the commercial hydra that has overtaken the publishing community. There will never be a return to the simple life that Marjorie and Harper Lee wrote about; but the values they lived by and the ideals they stood for are timeless reminders that there are some things worth fighting for, worth living for, and yes, even worth dying for.
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