[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:00.12]Famed American writer Harper Lee has died. [00:04.88]She was 89. [00:07.56]Lee died in her hometown of Monroeville [00:11.28]in the southern state of Alabama. [00:14.60]The cause of death was not announced. [00:18.64]Lee was the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "To Kill a Mockingbird." [00:26.04]Published in 1960, it was one of the most famous and beloved American novels. [00:33.92]It still sells about one million copies each year. [00:40.12]Lee was born in Monroeville, but lived for many years in New York City. [00:46.56]She suffered a stroke in 2007 and moved back to her hometown. [00:53.48]"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a story about racism and injustice in the Deep South. [01:01.48]It was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck in 1962. [01:07.96]The film won three Academy Awards. [01:12.56]Harper Lee was very protective of the book being used in other media. [01:19.44]But she approved of the movie version. [01:23.44]A Broadway version of "To Kill a Mockingbird" is to be staged in 2017. [01:31.32]Television and film writer Aaron Sorkin will adapt the novel. [01:37.36]Schools and small theater groups for years have produced an earlier play version written by Christopher Sergel. [01:47.00]Last year, Harper Lee produced another book called "Go Set a Watchman." [01:53.88]The surprise second novel became the fastest-selling book in the history of publisher HarperCollins. [02:03.24]The company reported that more than 1.1 million copies were sold in North America in its first week. [02:12.52]"Watchman" includes many of the same characters found in "To Kill A Mockingbird." [02:19.32]The newer novel was actually an early version of "Mockingbird." [02:25.76]Most critics did not like "Go Set a Watchman." [02:30.20]Many Harper Lee fans expressed concern [02:33.80]that the novel would damage the author's reputation in the future. [02:39.92]I'm Anne Ball.