J.D. Salinger: Five New Books in 2015?

[pynch]

Thrilling news from the New York Times, August 25, 2013:

Film on Salinger Claims More Books Are Coming

[...] a forthcoming documentary and related book, both titled “Salinger,” include detailed assertions that Mr. Salinger instructed his estate to publish at least five additional books — some of them entirely new, some extending past work — in a sequence that he intended to begin as early as 2015.

The filmmaker, Shane Salerno, says that he got the information from two “independent and separate” sources.

Salinger’s family declined to comment—of course.

Do we believe this? I want to!

Does anyone know how to fast forward to 2015 immediately? Please?

[medard]

This is definitely the news of the year. People have been waiting for such news since Salinger died in 2010.

I'm not really ready to believe that we'll get actually five books, and I'm sure we won't get them at once in 2015. But I think we'll get at least something in the next years, and that's something everybody was hoping for.

[doubleshuffle]

Great news! So happy!

[medard]

Well Salinger was a bit difficult.

[alvina]

I'll start to save money for this five books right now!!

[pynch]

Originally Posted by medard

Well Salinger was a bit difficult.

You knew him?

[medard]

I've read Ian Hamilton's "In Search of J.D. Salinger", a biography that caused some trouble back then. I'm not quite sure about this, but I think the above is one of the pictures Hamilton made when he tried to interview Salinger for his book.

[doubleshuffle]

I don't know if the photo is linked to the Hamilton book. Here is where I found it: A wonderful article by the guy who almost got to publish Hapworth 16, 1924.

In a more recent article, Ron Rosenbaum tells this heartbreaking story from a letter Salinger wrote to his friend Michael Mitchell, the designer of the original cover for Catcher in the Rye:

[...], Salinger is telling his lifelong friend his reaction to an incident famous in Salinger lore: the moment in the ’80s when he was captured by surprise by a New York Post photographer outside the Cornish Post Office. The picture, which the Post ran on its front page, shows Salinger’s absolutely agonized, angry, bitter face. It’s painful to look at, and in the letter he says it made him feel homicidal in his heart and hate humanity. But in a remarkable display of self-effacement he admits to his friend that a local Cornish girl who knew him well from seeing him around town had the temerity and the honesty to tell him, after seeing the Post photo, that, in fact, that was the way he looked almost all the time.

[JD Gumby]

Skeptical, given that Salinger hadn't written (or at least published) anything since '65, yet suddenly there are 5 posthumous works coming out?

[doubleshuffle]

He didn't publish, but he wrote all the time.

[ProfCrash]

If he didn't want the work published when he was a live, why should it be published after he died? It strikes me as his family is ignoring his wishes. Which strikes me as disrespectful and a money grab.

[doubleshuffle]

Actually, according to the source linked in the original post, those publications will be following Salinger's instructions:

...a forthcoming documentary and related book, both titled “Salinger,” include detailed assertions that Mr. Salinger instructed his estate to publish at least five additional books — some of them entirely new, some extending past work — in a sequence that he intended to begin as early as 2015.

And it can be a good thing when an author's wishes are ignored. Most of Kafka's work would have been lost if Max Brod hadn't ignored his instructions to burn it. Many people are interested in Salinger's work, and publishing what he wrote can never be reduced to a "money grab."

[ProfCrash]

If that is the case, then so be it. It will be an interesting story to follow. But detailed assertions is different then detailed instructions. So did he leave directions in his will or with his lawyer or are people piecing together instructions? If it is the later, I am going with disrespectful and a money grab.

Salinger knew he could send a manuscript to just about anyone and would be published. If he wanted the works published before he died it was easy enough to do. He wanted the works published after he died, he would have left specific instructions.

I remain highly skeptical because detailed assertions is a weird way to word things.

[doubleshuffle]

..."detailed assertions that Salinger instructed his estate"...

But of course everything concerning Salinger is always an enigma shrouded in a mystery...

[ProfCrash]

See, if he left instructions then why detailed assertions why not just instructions?