Harper Lee Letter Describing 9/11 in New York to Auction

A poignant handwritten letter by Harper Lee detailing her personal observations and emotional reflections on the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in New York City will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders on May 29.

Composed from her New York City home on March 26, 2002 following the tragic events, the autograph letter signed by Harper Lee offers a glimpse into the mind of the literary icon. Addressed to her friend Tammy Rovell in Alabama, Lee writes at length about the profound malaise gripping the city and the enduring horror of Ground Zero."

"Nothing much goes on in the city," she writes. "Everything's the same, yet somehow different: people seem to be slower about their getting about - maybe it's because traffic is at it's all-time worst. Downtown is a mess, of course, and now the Holland Tunnel's been closed for a week (fire that won't go out in New Jersey, right at the entrance) and that makes the other tunnel have waits of 90 minutes and more. So no Atlantic City for this kid! Don't even want to tell you about Ground Zero. Even after 6 months it's appalling to see. Only thing I will tell you is that when you're as far down as 14th Street, still a good bit away from the scene, you begin to get the smell. Not, thank God, rotting flesh, but sort of an industrial smell - like an electrical fire or burning plastic. Bearable, but I'm glad I don't have to work or live in it. One other thing: it's not very nice to know that when you're walking around down there, every step you take is on a pulverized human being. To know what hell is like, go take a look.''

Bidding for the letter begins at $1,600.