Harper Lee's second novel

[Gawpus]

...which was apparently written first:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/201...-a-mockingbird

is due to come out in July this year.
Apparently the manuscript had been lost until recently, and is about Scout as an adult.

Intriguing. Looking forward to it.

[Various Artist]

Harper Lee's second novel

Seriously, this is astonishing. I never thought I'd see the day, I thought the prospect of a second Harper Lee novel appearing after 55 years was about as likely as a sequel to The Catcher In The Rye — and there's even a publicity photo of her, to boot. I hope the manuscript stands up after all this time; considering how long Lee apparently spent revising it before consigning it to the back burner in favour of To Kill A Mockingbird, there's every chance.

[ursus arctos]

Harper Lee's second novel

The circumstances which led Ms. Lee to do this are rather distressing.

The notoriously private author Harper Lee is now waging a public courtroom battle. Her lawsuit charges that in 2007 her agent, Samuel Pinkus, duped the frail 80-year-old Lee into assigning him the copyright to her only book, To Kill a Mockingbird—then diverted royalties from the beloved 1960 classic.

Vanity Fair piece.

[Gawpus]

Harper Lee's second novel

That does temper my enthusiasm somewhat.

This comes shortly after the death of her sister too, who was also her lawyer:

http://jezebel.com/be-suspicious-of-...vel-1683488258

Worrying, to say the least.

[caja-dglh]

Harper Lee's second novel

Right - there is something very fishy about all of this.

[WOM]

Harper Lee's second novel

I hadn't realized it (the original book) had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it.

Doesn't that sorta sound like a line that might have been crafted to disarm possible criticism right from the outset? After so long without another book - and after reports of dementia - this does indeed seem too convenient.

[WOM]

Harper Lee's second novel

It stunk when we first talked about it, and it stinks more now.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/new-twist-emerges-in-how-harper-lees-watchman-was-first-discovered/article25245861/

[ursus arctos]

Harper Lee's second novel

The State Bar should investigate her lawyer.

She was "running an errand" when the manuscript was discussed?

[WOM]

Harper Lee's second novel

Oh, it's beyond absurd.

"...my dear friend and lawyer."

The fuck?

[ursus arctos]

Harper Lee's second novel

Definitely beyond absurd and potentially criminal.

Harper Collins find themselves in a bit of bother here.

[WOM]

Harper Lee's second novel

I'd imagine the two million copies have already been printed and shipped. If Lee is, indeed, not in her full faculties at this point, hopefully this won't upset her too much...or she won't even learn about it.

In the end, it's a crime against her wishes and won't sully her legacy.

[caja-dglh]

Harper Lee's second novel

Bizarrely, they are apparently releasing the first chapter in a few minutes. One can only guess this is because it it great and closes any concerns that it is a draft of the first book.

It is all very strange though.

[Bored Of Education]

Harper Lee's second novel

That first chapter.

[Diable Rouge]

Harper Lee's second novel

Bored of Education wrote: That first chapter.

That seems to link to an article, Grauniad have it here.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Harper Lee's second novel

Do you want Negroes by the carload in our world?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Harper Lee's second novel

next they'll be telling us that woodrow wilson wasn't quite the progressive force for good that we remember from the versailles peace conference.

wait....what?

[ursus arctos]

Harper Lee's second novel

So, now the rather shady lawyer/confidante is hinting that a third book may exist.

The Murdochian strings being pulled here are really showing now.

[caja-dglh]

Harper Lee's second novel

It is all getting very shady indeed. Particularly as you have to think that Harper Lee surely made the decision for these books not to be published at some point.

[Incandenza]

Harper Lee's second novel

I'm not much for the "no, Atticus was my hero and now he's ruined!" reaction to the novel, but I enjoyed this at Deadspin:

Stiff-arming the new book for the sake of preserving your relationship with the old one might seem cowardly, or at least unappealingly incurious, if Go Set a Watchman were not arriving amid legitimate doubts about its provenance and the reasons for its publication 55 years after its predecessor. But this is a gussied-up version of a non-book that was rejected and replaced half a century ago, offered up now by a shady lawyer in extremely dubious circumstances, trying to tell you that one of the best American novels ever written was wrong about its most beloved character. Everything about it is sad. Read it if you want to; I hope you won’t.

[WOM]

Harper Lee's second novel

I was thinking about this today, and a comparable idea came to me: that of the recently destroyed 'stem vocals' that Amy Winehouse had recorded but obviously not intended to release. So I went to look up the details before posting and it turns out that this guy had already made my case. So here it is.

http://qz.com/450888/before-you-read-harper-lees-new-novel-remember-amy-winehouse/

[Incandenza]

Harper Lee's second novel

The Onion: Harper Lee Announces Third Novel, ‘My Excellent Caretaker Deserves My Entire Fortune’

[ursus arctos]

Harper Lee's second novel

Miss Lee has left us.

[WOM]

Harper Lee's second novel

Aw nuts.

[Tony C]

Harper Lee's second novel

RIP

[Bored Of Education]

Harper Lee's second novel

Odd how, in the Radio 4 obituaries, the second novel is being seen as a touch of a taint on TKAM. I haven't read "Watchman" yet but can't imagine it will have that effect. If it is out of kilter with a reader's perceptions, there is enough information that it was part of the first draft so you just have to say that it wasn't really what she wanted for the final novel.

Anyway, RIP. As I have probably said on here, one of the greatest novels ever which got turned into one of the greatest films ever.