Harper Lee's agent dismisses 'elder abuse' allegations

NEW YORK — Harper Lee's literary agent says he was ''surprised'' that his client was believed a victim of elder abuse and asserted ''categorically'' that she was in ''full possession of her mental faculties'' and ''delighted'' about this summer's publication of her second novel.

The statement from Andrew Nurnberg was issued Friday through Lee's publisher, HarperCollins. Speculation about the 88-year-old author has been ongoing since last month's stunning announcement that Lee had approved the release of ''Go Set a Watchman,'' her first book since ''To Kill a Mockingbird.'' Lee has rarely spoken to the press over the past 50 years and had apparently long resigned herself to never publishing again.

''We have had wonderful discussions ranging over many subjects from the state of contemporary politics to University life in England,'' said Nurnberg, one of the few people connected to the book's publication who has met in person with Lee at the assisted-living facility in her Alabama hometown of Monroeville.

State investigators in Alabama have looked into whether publishing ''Go Set a Watchman,'' scheduled for July 14 and highly in demand as a pre-order, involved financial fraud.