J.D. Salinger's estate will release "at least five" of the author's unpublished works in a planned sequence starting in 2015, according to the New York Times. The author, whose novel The Catcher in the Rye has become an oft-challenged literary standard for high schoolers, left detailed instructions for the posthumous publishing of his work. One collection of previously unpublished material will reportedly be called The Family Glass, and will focus on the Glass family, which was the subject of Salinger's 1961 novel Franny and Zooey. Another will be a "retooled version" of the short story The Last and Best of the Peter Pans, an as-yet-unpublished work currently available as a 12-page manuscript at the Princeton University's Firestone Library.
The revelations come from Salinger, an upcoming documentary film and companion book that aims to shed light on the enigmatic author. Nine years in the making, the film pulls from extensive interviews to piece together Salinger's notoriously private life. Although some members of Salinger's family initially supported the project, the film's director, Shane Salerno, tells the Times that they later withdrew. Salinger will detail many facets of the author's later life, including an affair with a young woman who was reportedly the inspiration for his short story For Esmé — With Love and Squalor. The documentary will be released in theaters on September 6th, three days after the companion book, and will later air as part of PBS' American Masters series.