J.D. Salinger documentary claims as many as five new books from ‘Catcher in the Rye’ writer will be published

J.D. Salinger died in 2010, having not published a short story or novel since the 1960s. But that could change, at least according to a new documentary on the Catcher in the Rye writer’s life. The documentary claims that Salinger has as many as five books waiting to be published.

According to The New York Times, in Salinger, filmmaker Shane Salerno claims that Salinger left behind at least five books that he told his estate to publish after his death.

Some of the stories are all new, but others involve characters and families in some of his previous work. For example, The Family Glass would be a collection of stories about the Glass family featured in Franny and Zooey. Another covers the Caulfields, the family in Catcher in the Rye. There’s also the unpublished story The Last and Best of the Peter Pans, which has been known about publicly, but never read.

Another novel is set during World War II and based on his experiences during the war and another focuses on the Vedanta religious philosophy.

The stories were written before 2008, when he handed his work over to a trust.

Salerno spent nine years putting together the film, which the Weinstein Company is releasing theatrically on Sept. 6. It will be accompanied by a book co-written by David Shields that will be out on Sept. 3. PBS will also air the documentary in January.

Salerno cited two anonymous sources for the information on the unpublished works, which could begin appearing in 2015. Jonathan Karp, the publisher of Simon & Schuster, told the Times that he supports the author’s work. “He did rely on some anonymous sources, and I’ve talked to him about that. I believe that his sourcing is strong on the basis of all of the on-the-record sourcing that is unimpeachable,” Karp said.

The filmmaker began working with the Salinger family, but they are not supporting his film at this point. Matthew Salinger, the author’s son, told the Times in a previous interview that he didn’t think the public would come away with any major new revelations about Salinger after seeing the film.

image: Trailer