John Grisham Wins the 2014 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For his work in “Sycamore Row,” New York Times bestselling author, lawyer and previous Harper Lee Prize winner John Grisham received the 2014 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.

The prize, authorized by Lee and co-sponsored by The University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal, is given annually to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change.

“My thanks to the committee for the selection of ‘Sycamore Row,’” Grisham said. “I’m still admiring the first Harper Lee award. It’s hard to believe there is now a second one. I am deeply humbled.”

“Sycamore Row” was chosen by a distinguished selection committee, including Kevin Blackistone, sports columnist, ESPN panelist and University of Maryland professor; Fannie Flagg, New York Times bestselling author of “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café” and screenplay of the Academy Award-nominated “Fried Green Tomatoes;” Dan Kornstein partner at Kornstein, Veisz, Wexler & Pollard and former Harper Lee panelist; Adam Liptak, journalist, lawyer and Supreme Court correspondent for the New York Times; and Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, journalist, author and former Harper Lee panelist.

Grisham’s book, “Sycamore Row,” was honored during an Aug. 28 ceremony at the Madison Building in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Following the award presentation, the selection committee hosted a panel discussion of “Sycamore Row,” in relationship to Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

About John Grisham

Long before his name became synonymous with the modern legal thriller, John Grisham was working 60-70 hours a week at a small Southaven, Mississippi law practice, squeezing in time before going to the office and during courtroom recesses to work on his hobby–writing his first novel.

After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. One day at the DeSoto County Courthouse, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a 12-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl’s father had murdered her assailants.

Spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, “The Firm” became the bestselling novel of 1991. The successes of “The Pelican Brief,” which hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and “The Client,” which debuted at No. 1, confirmed Grisham’s reputation as the master of the legal thriller. There are more than 225 million John Grisham books in print worldwide, which have been translated into 29 languages. Nine of his novels have been turned into films.

One of America’s leading public law schools, and the “#1 Best Value Law School” in the nation, according to the National Jurist, for two years in a row (2012 and 2013), The University of Alabama School of Law offers a challenging curriculum with over 150 electives, several dual enrollment opportunities, Master of Laws degrees, and a J.S.D. With a student-to-faculty ratio of approximately 11:1, the Law School offers students a rigorous, hands-on learning experience, with strong student engagement in clinical programs, law review, moot court, and trial advocacy.