Will more works by J.D. Salinger be published?
A new documentary and book are claiming that J.D. Salinger left behind unpublished works, with instructions to release them as early as 2015.
This photo of J.D. Salinger (r.) and Emily Maxwell (l.) is one of the images rarely seen before its inclusion in the documentary and book 'Salinger.'
The Story Factory/AP
Will the next several years bring new works from J.D. Salinger, long one of the world's most famously reclusive authors?
Shane Salerno, director of the upcoming documentary “Salinger,” is claiming the author told his estate to release various new works sometime between 2015 and 2020. The material to be published reportedly includes short stories as well as longer works.
One new book is said to be titled “The Family Glass.” The work is reported to be a collection of short stories (five in all) that would expand on the story of the Glass family, characters Salinger wrote about in “Franny and Zooey” and other of his works. Other new material would include a previously unpublished story titled “The Last and Best of the Peter Pans,” which is reportedly about “Catcher in the Rye” protagonist Holden Caulfield, and is said to include other new material about the Caulfield family as well.
Other works said to be scheduled for release include a short work about Salinger’s own experiences at war; a manual on how to follow the Hindu Vedanta religion, which the author embraced; and a novel-length work set during World War II and based on Salinger’s first marriage.
Salinger died in 2010. Matthew Salinger, Salinger’s son, declined to comment when contacted by The New York Times and stated that Salinger’s widow, Colleen O’Neill, would not be commenting either.
Salerno’s documentary, which will be released Sept. 6, is paired with a book co-written by Salerno and David Shields, which will be released Sept. 3.
Harvey Weinstein of the Weinstein Company, which is distributing the documentary, hinted when the movie was screened at the Cannes Film Festival that the film contained great revelations about Salinger.
“I hope the audience will keep the secret of the film, and won't tell their neighbors, just like they did for ‘The Crying Game,’” he told the Guardian at the time. “If I told you what it was they'd kill me.”
However, Matthew Salinger has spoken disparagingly of the film and Salerno's claims that he spoke with many of his father’s close acquaintances.
“There were barely enough people to form a circle in the last 30 or 40 years… I would only wish this were as serious-minded a piece of work as [Salerno] would have us believe,” he told The New York Times.