Wonderful J.D. Salinger site

[ghost of miles]

Like many a reader before me, I got badly hooked on J.D. Salinger's writing when I was a teenager. Every so often I still like to go back and revisit the four published books and some of the uncollected stories... I don't hold out any great hope for what might be published posthumously, but I'll probably read whatever comes out. I'd be especially curious to see some of the unpublished stories from the 1948-53 period, as well as any more installments concerning the Glass family (I even like "Hapworth 16, 1924," which many consider all but unreadable). For the last year or so I've occasionally perused the following site, which may be of interest to any fellow Salinger devotees:

Dead Caulfields

I find it strange that no theorists or critics (that I'm aware of, anyway) have made an argument for Salinger as one of the pioneering metafictionists, on the basis of "Seymour: an Introduction." To me, that story seems right in line with what John Barth and others were doing, or starting to do, in the late 1950s.

[Peter Johnson]

I hate to sound completely ignorant, particularly as a) an English major, and b) one who loves Salinger's writing, but did he pass on? I feel as though I remember a fairly recent article about someone who tracked him down and spent time with him.

Like many a reader before me, I got badly hooked on J.D. Salinger's writing when I was a teenager. Every so often I still like to go back and revisit the four published books and some of the uncollected stories... I don't hold out any great hope for what might be published posthumously, but I'll probably read whatever comes out. I'd be especially curious to see some of the unpublished stories from the 1948-53 period, as well as any more installments concerning the Glass family (I even like "Hapworth 16, 1924," which many consider all but unreadable). For the last year or so I've occasionally perused the following site, which may be of interest to any fellow Salinger devotees:

Dead Caulfields

I find it strange that no theorists or critics (that I'm aware of, anyway) have made an argument for Salinger as one of the pioneering metafictionists, on the basis of "Seymour: an Introduction." To me, that story seems right in line with what John Barth and others were doing, or starting to do, in the late 1950s.

[bertrand]

If you google, there are a few sites that actually have the entire text of the magazine stories. Some sites were yanked by his representatives, so you better act fast. I printed them all and will put them in a binder.

Years ago, I read these in a 2-volume unauthorized collection which they had in the rare book room at Cornell University. I remember 'Hapworth' as being unreadable.

He is still living and pushing ninety. He has not published anything new in over 40 years.

He has not authorized any film version of his work (Elia Kazan wanted to do Catcher). 'My Foolish Heart' is the only exception (based loosely on 'Uncle Wiggily In Connecticut) and that experience soured him.

Bertrand.

[andybleaden]

I hate to sound completely ignorant, particularly as a) an English major, and b) one who loves Salinger's writing, but did he pass on?

Do you mean did he die?

Nope do not think so

Andy

[Peter Johnson]

That is what I meant--confused because Ghost's post said, "I don't hold out hope for a lot to be published posthumously", leading me to think he had died. Hoping that's not the case. Thanks.

I hate to sound completely ignorant, particularly as a) an English major, and b) one who loves Salinger's writing, but did he pass on?

Do you mean did he die?

Nope do not think so

Andy

[andybleaden]

from this site http://www.salinger.org and its FAQ page

Is he still alive?

Salinger is still alive and living what some have called a "reclusive" life. He has been seen and surreptitiously photographed for Time and People magazines, among others. He lives in the same house he bought back in 1953 in Cornish, New Hampshire.

We are loathe to include that bit of information here, lest people go to bother him there, but the town has become so associated with him, and his residence there so publicized, that not including it would be a disservice.

[ghost of miles]

Yes, JDS is still alive. Back in 1997 there was a big flurry of news because "Hapworth" was going to come out in book form, published by a small press (Orchises). Michiko Kakutani ripped the story a new one in the NY Times' arts section, and it's rumored that Salinger was so upset that he postponed and eventually killed the book publication. I'm not sure he would've followed through anyway; at times I suspect a certain coyness in his reclusive fame, somewhat similar to a child who cries, "Leave me alone, leave me alone!" and then, when ultimately left alone, ends up doing something to bring attention back to him. (In fact, there's a passage in "Zooey" that expresses a very similar sentiment--when Zooey's mother finally leaves the bathroom.)

Bertrand's right concerning the film history (and I always think of JDS whenever I listen to Bill Evans do "My Foolish Heart" on the Village Vanguard recordings), although I think a bizarre & unauthorized version of Franny & Zooey was filmed several years ago in Iran, of all places.

Edited August 16, 2006 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

Dead Caulfields has posted an interesting piece on the backstory behind Salinger's Glass family novella Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters. Carpenters is probably my favorite Glass story, though I like them all--even Hapworth 16, 1924, though you have to be a serious Glass family junkie to get into that one. Dead Caulfields reports that Hapworth has been rescheduled for book publication on Jan. 1, 2009--JDS's 90th birthday.

[Guest Bill Barton]

from this site http://www.salinger.org and its FAQ page

Is he still alive?

Salinger is still alive and living what some have called a "reclusive" life. He has been seen and surreptitiously photographed for Time and People magazines, among others. He lives in the same house he bought back in 1953 in Cornish, New Hampshire.

We are loathe to include that bit of information here, lest people go to bother him there, but the town has become so associated with him, and his residence there so publicized, that not including it would be a disservice.

Indeed he has become inextricably linked to Cornish. I grew up in Cornish Flat, NH and well remember his annual appearances at town meeting during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Generally it was the only time he came out of seclusion. And he always had something to say, very cogent and to-the-point.

His daughter Margaret's memoir Dream Catcher is a very interesting and thought-provoking book, definitely worth a look if you haven't discovered it already.

Edited January 12, 2008 by Bill Barton

[ghost of miles]

Wow! I'm astonished that Salinger came out for something as social as a town meeting. I've read that the shop-owners in Cornish have been very protective of him over the years.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Wow! I'm astonished that Salinger came out for something as social as a town meeting. I've read that the shop-owners in Cornish have been very protective of him over the years.

Well, recall that town meeting is only once a year and that was the only time anyone in the town ever saw the guy. He was (and perhaps still is) very interested in the nuts-and-bolts operation of town government. And, yes, the townspeople have been very protective of his privacy over the years. They're pretty damned protective of their own privacy too, as anyone who has ever lived in a small New England town can attest.

The Cornish area has a very interesting history when it comes to the arts. At the turn of the 20th Century there was a flourishing "arts colony" of emigres from New York City - poets, painters, sculptors, writers - most of whom are unknown now, but including the renowned painter Maxfield Parrish, whose lifelong home, The Oaks, is in Plainfield just north of Cornish. Margaret Mitchell wrote portions of Gone with the Wind in Plainfield as well.

[Chuck Nessa]

Amusing to see all these "kiddies" interested.

[paul secor]

His daughter Margaret's memoir Dream Catcher is a very interesting and thought-provoking book, definitely worth a look if you haven't discovered it already.

Haven't read any Salinger in over 40 years - perhaps it's time to do some rereading.

My wife read Dream Catcher. Just checked and it's still on her shelves. Your post has piqued my interest about that one - just have to find the time for everything.

[ghost of miles]

New essay up at Dead Caulfields on the uncollected 1945 story This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise (if you hunt around online, you can find a copy of this and many of the other non-anthologized 1940s JDS stories). This is one of the early Caulfield stories, narrated by Vincent Caulfield (who later morphs into D.B. in CATCHER IN THE RYE); very interesting stuff if you're a Salinger fan.

[ghost of miles]

It appears that Hapworth might be coming out in January. (A big "might," I suspect.) I've posted a piece that I wrote about Salinger and Hapworth back in 1998, when the book was originally slated to come out:

Play It In the Closet: the Return Farewell of J.D. Salinger

Edited August 3, 2009 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

The person who runs the Dead Caulfields site has written a biography of Salinger that will be out next spring. Based on what little I know about it, I think it's going to be a respectful and highly significant contribution to JDS studies. Here's a note from the publisher's website:

JD Salinger: a Life Raised High– Kenneth Slawinski.

JD Salinger: a Life Raised High reveals the surprising reality behind the enigmatic author of The Catcher in the Rye. Readers travel with the author through both his stories and the events of his life. It is a biographical journey, a story of ambition and ego that collides with integrity, an account of Salinger’s struggle to deal with the consequences of his own fame while attempting to understand the nature of God and humanity after experiencing the darkest days of human history.

With unique insights into Salinger’s complex personality, the text (stretching to more than 150,000 words) covers his youth, war years, career and relationships, as well as his emergence as an American icon and final withdrawal. With over 400 citations and first-hand accounts, the details of Salinger’s life have been thoroughly researched and the book uncovers many surprising facts never before exposed. By peeling away myth from truth, a far more compelling life-story is actually revealed.

[Chuck Nessa]

A great Salinger site/book would have no contents.

[thedwork]

A great Salinger site/book would have no contents.

what does that mean?

[ghost of miles]

A great Salinger site/book would have no contents.

what does that mean?

It is very Zen.

[Chuck Nessa]

A great Salinger site/book would have no contents.

what does that mean?

It is very Zen.

No, just being respectful.

[BruceH]

Am I alone in perceiving The Royal Tennenbaums to be, in part, an updated, cartoonified, (and cutesyfied) version of the Glass family?

[Kalo]

Am I alone in perceiving The Royal Tennenbaums to be, in part, an updated, cartoonified, (and cutesyfied) version of the Glass family?

You are not alone, sir. Though Salinger could get plenty cutesy on his own.

A number of years ago I dated a gal who grew up in Cornish NH and occasionally got lifts to school from J.D. Salinger well before she knew he was a famous writer.

[BruceH]

Am I alone in perceiving The Royal Tennenbaums to be, in part, an updated, cartoonified, (and cutesyfied) version of the Glass family?

You are not alone, sir. Though Salinger could get plenty cutesy on his own.

A number of years ago I dated a gal who grew up in Cornish NH and occasionally got lifts to school from J.D. Salinger well before she knew he was a famous writer.

That freaks me out. The moral: Don't date gals from New Hampshire because they'll freak you out!

[ghost of miles]

Am I alone in perceiving The Royal Tennenbaums to be, in part, an updated, cartoonified, (and cutesyfied) version of the Glass family?

No--I definitely think it's a nearly-overt allusion to/updating of the Glass family stories, which I still love.

Somehow missed this piece in the Onion earlier this year:

J.D. Salinger Comes Out of Seclusion to Rave About New Terminator Movie

...kind of a one-joke story, but still made me laugh.

[BruceH]

...most Onion stories are one-joke pieces. It's how they unfold and sketch-in the joke that makes it.