Published by Penguin Young Readers Group under the Putnam imprint in July 2010, Legend is Marie Lu's first published work.[3][4] Lu drew inspiration from several sources while writing this novel. One of her biggest inspirations was Les Misérables, basing her characters of Day and June on the police inspector Javert and ex-convict Jean Valjean in the movie.[3] In an interview with Judith Pereira from The Globe and Mail, Lu explained that watching Les Misérables drew her to adapt the criminal versus detective narrative to make it a teen version.[5]
Additionally, Lu drew inspiration from events in East Asia such as the Eugenics movement in early 20th century Korea and the Tiananmen Square Massacre in China.[3][6] In an interview with Rick Margolis for the School Library Journal, Lu revealed that her experiences while living in China and being at Tiananmen Square hours before the massacre indirectly shaped the novel by changing the way she saw things.[6]
Furthermore, Lu was inspired by her life in the United States. She notes that she drew inspiration from the SATs when creating the nationwide test both June and Day had to take in the novel.[6] Also, she chose Los Angeles as the setting for the novel since she lives there and she thought Los Angeles demonstrates the dramatic economic disparity between the wealthy and poor that is further illustrated in the novel.[4]
