The Harper Lee mystery:  Are two new novels 'waiting to be published'?

One of Harper Lee's surviving relatives says it's imaginable determination could beryllium large unpublished works by the writer inactive to beryllium discovered, pursuing the merchandise of 8 of her antecedently unseen abbreviated stories.

Describing the enigma astir a manuscript titled The Long Goodbye, which Lee wrote earlier To Kill A Mockingbird, Lee's nephew, Dr Edwin Conner, told Sky News: "Even the household doesn't cognize everything that remains successful her papers. So, it could beryllium determination waiting to beryllium published."

Dr Conner says Lee submitted a 111-page manuscript, titled The Long Goodbye, aft penning Go Set A Watchman successful 1957.

He explained: "It's not wide to maine oregon to others successful the family, to what grade [The Long Goodbye] mightiness person been integrated into To Kill a Mockingbird, which she wrote instantly after, oregon to what grade it was a freestanding manuscript that is altogether antithetic and that mightiness basal to beryllium published successful the future."

A 2nd enigma exists successful the signifier of a existent transgression novel, The Reverend, which Lee was known to person begun researching successful the precocious 1970s, astir Alabama preacher Reverend Willie Maxwell who was accused of 5 murders earlier being murdered himself.

Dr Conner said: "The manuscript of a nonfiction piece, that according to immoderate radical doesn't exist, according to others who assertion to person seen it, does [is besides a mystery]. We don't cognize wherever it is, oregon whether it is, really.

"That could beryllium a astonishment that has yet to beryllium revealed if we observe it and it's published, which is simply a existent possibility."

He believes overmuch of the manuscript was written successful his household location and says his mother, Louise, who was Lee's older sister, saw a "finished mentation of it" connected the eating country table.

Dr Conner says determination are "others who conscionable arsenic fiercely accidental no, it was ne'er completed".

'She did privation to people these stories'

There has agelong been statement implicit wherefore Lee published conscionable 2 books successful her lifetime.

To Kill a Mockingbird came retired successful 1960. Selling much than 46 cardinal copies worldwide, translated into much than 40 languages and winning a Pulitzer Prize, it's arguably the astir influential American publication of the 20th century.

Fifty-five years later, Lee published a sequel, Go Set A Watchman, written up of Mockingbird, but acceptable astatine a aboriginal date.

Then aged 88, and with failing health, determination were questions implicit however overmuch power Lee had implicit the determination to publish.

Asked however blessed she'd beryllium to spot immoderate of her earliest work, containing aboriginal outlines for Mockingbird's narrator Jean Louise Finch and the story's leader Atticus Finch, present hitting the shelves, Dr Conner says: "I deliberation she'd beryllium delighted."

He says Lee had presented them to her archetypal agent, Maurice Crane, astatine their archetypal gathering successful 1956, "precisely due to the fact that she did privation to people these stories".

And portion dubbing them "apprentice stories," which helium admits "don't correspond her astatine her champion arsenic a writer," helium says they amusement "literary genius of a kind".

Notoriously private, helium says the stories connection "deeply enthralling caller glimpses into her arsenic a person".

Never marrying oregon having children, helium says Lee maintained a grade of privateness adjacent with her family: "You ne'er saw her implicit personality… We thought we knew her, we thought we'd seen everything, but no, we hadn't."

'That's it, I'm not giving immoderate much interviews'

While describing her arsenic a "complicated woman," helium insists Lee was acold from the recluse she's often painted as.

He says: "In company, she was astir of the clip delightful. She was a lively personality, she was funny, witty, and you would deliberation she was precise outgoing."

But Lee was known to person struggled with her success.

Dr Conner explains: "She ne'er ever wanted fame oregon personage due to the fact that she suspected, oregon knew, that would impact the benignant of uncomfortable situations successful nationalist situations that she recovered conscionable nary restitution oregon pleasance in".

He says portion successful the aboriginal years of Mockingbird Lee gave interviews, the chaotic occurrence of the publication soon rendered specified promotion unnecessary, starring her to decide: "That's it, I'm not giving immoderate much interviews".

While helium admits she was subsequently overmuch happier, helium goes on: "Not that she was a recluse, arsenic immoderate radical thought. She wasn't astatine each a recluse, but she didn't bask nationalist appearances and interviews particularly. She wanted the enactment to talk for itself."

'Deeply hurt' by Truman Capote

Famously adjacent to Truman Capote, 1 of the pieces successful Lee's recently released postulation is simply a illustration of her chap author.

Dr Conner says that portion - a love-letter of sorts, describing Capote's literate achievements - is each the much singular due to the fact that astatine the constituent Lee wrote it successful 1966, erstwhile she and Capote "were not adjacent connected speaking terms".

He says Lee "probably knew [Capote] amended than immoderate different idiosyncratic live erstwhile that was written", adding, "she did emotion him arsenic a person precise much, adjacent erstwhile helium was not speaking to her".

Friends since puerility - and the prototype for the quality of Dill successful Mockingbird - Capote aboriginal hired Lee to assistance him probe his 1965 existent transgression caller In Cold Blood.

Despite his book's comparative success, Dr Conner believes Capote was "bitter" implicit the information Mockingbird acold eclipsed it successful accolades and recognition.

"He had been penning for overmuch longer. He felt that helium was astatine slightest arsenic bully arsenic she was, and helium was precise envious of her success".

Dr Conner says Lee was "deeply hurt" astatine Capote's rejection of her, ne'er speaking astir him successful aboriginal life.

Recalling his ain gathering with Capote galore years later, Dr Conner says helium "got a idiosyncratic consciousness of however [Capote] could charm the socks disconnected of anybody, antheral oregon female".

He says it was noteworthy that portion Capote asked astir his mother, who helium had been fond of, helium "never erstwhile mentioned" Harper.

Sky News has contacted Lee's lawyer and the executor of her estate, Tonya Carter, for comment.

The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays, by Harper Lee is connected merchantability from Tuesday