Salinger

by Paul Alexander

  Next to his son’s picture . . . his experience there: The information from Salinger’s Valley Forge yearbook is at Princeton. It’s also included in J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  “Jerry’s conversation . . . he was good”: This quote comes from my interview with Richard Gonder.

  THE YOUNG FOLKS

  Those plans were finalized . . . the immediate future: J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  “He lived in Vienna . . . the exporting business”: Maxwell, BMOC News.

  “I was supposed to apprentice myself . . . pig slaughtermaster”: This quote from Salinger, which appeared in Story in 1944, was reprinted in “Sonny: An Introduction.”

  “Eventually he got . . . writer of fiction”: Maxwell, BMOC News. In fact, Salinger . . . come back”: Ibid.

  His memories include . . . Salinger’s life: Salinger later mentioned the young girl from Vienna in a letter to Ernest Hemingway, which is at Princeton, as well as in conversation with Elizabeth Murray, which I learned from my interview with Gloria Murray. Salinger also wrote about the girl in “A Girl I Knew,” which appeared in Good Housekeeping in February 1948.

  When Jerry returned to America . . . World War II: Some of the material in this paragraph comes from Modern European History by John R. Barber, HarperCollins, 1993.

  So, in early 1938 . . . the fall of 1939: Information about Ursinus College comes from Ursinus college catalogues, copies of the campus newspaper The Ursinus Weekly from this time period, and my interviews with Richard Deitzler, Anabel Heyen, and Charles Steinmetz.

  Early one evening . . . he could tell stories”: The information in the first paragraph of this section as well as the direct quote at the beginning of the second paragraph come from my interview with Richard Deitzler.

  “He had few friends . . . a recluse”: This quote comes from my interview with Anabel Heyen.

  As he struggled . . . kissing him”: Copies of The Ursinus Weekly, particularly those containing contributions written by Salinger, are at Princeton. They are also available in the Ursinus College archives.

  “Salinger had an average record . . . left the college”: Barbara Boris’s letter is at Princeton.

  “I was in the same English class . . . process of writing”: This quote comes from my interview with Charles Steinmetz.

  “He didn’t say . . . he was gone”: This quote comes from my interview with Richard Deitzler.

  Starting in the fall of 1938 . . . at the time too”: The information in these three paragraphs, including the direct quotes, is taken from my interviews with Gloria Murray.

  “There was one dark-eyed, thoughtful young man . . . J. D. Salinger”: This comment by Burnett about Salinger was included in Fiction Writer’s Handbook edited by Whit and Hallie Burnett, which Harper and Row published in 1975. The Burnett quote is reproduced in “J. D. Salinger’s Tribute to Whit Burnett” by Craig Stoltz, Twentieth Century Literature, Winter 1981.

  Story had achieved . . . spotting young writers: Copies of Story are in the Rare Book and Manuscript Room at Columbia University.

  “He usually showed . . . good short fiction”: “A Salute to Whit Burnett” by J. D. Salinger, Fiction Writer’s Handbook, Harper and Row, 1975.

  “He abstained . . . in between”: Ibid.

  Following an uneventful summer . . . profession of writing: Fiction Writer’s Handbook edited by Whit and Hallie Burnett.

  As if to make . . . for publication: The Salinger-Burnett letters are at Princeton.

  “Ivan van Owl . . . excellent novels”: This quote comes from my interview with Robert Giroux.

  INVENTING HOLDEN CAULFIELD

  In the early days . . . Martha Foley: This paragraph is based on Salinger’s August 8, 1940 postcard to Burnett which is at Princeton.

  By September . . . turned it down: These two paragraphs are based on the September 1940 correspondence between Salinger and Burnett which is at Princeton.

  There was a presidential . . . at once: Modern Times: The World From the Twenties to the Nineties by Paul Johnson, HarperCollins, 1994.

  In November . . . Roosevelt: In Search of J. D. Salinger by Ian Hamilton.

  Through his agent . . . turning the story down: Letters exchanged between Salinger and the staff of the New Yorker are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division at the New York Public Library.

  In the summer of 1941 . . . Oona O’Neill: This paragraph is taken from my interviews with Gloria Murray.

  For some years . . . Debutante Number One: The information in this paragraph is taken from O’Neill by Arthur and Barbara Gelb (Applause Theater, 1994) as well as Trio: The Intimate Friendship of Carol Matthau, Oona O’Neill and Gloria Vanderbilt by Aram Saroyan (Simon & Schuster, 1985).

  “Oona had . . . take your eyes off her”: This quote comes from my interviews with Gloria Murray.

  “He fell for her . . . a writer too”: Ibid.

  In September . . . page 32”: This copy of Esquire is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  The story was “Slight Rebellion” . . . doesn’t seem to be enough: The issue of the New Yorker containing “Slight Rebellion Off Madison”—its dated December 21, 1946—is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  As Salinger would admit . . . Salinger himself had lived: This detail comes from a source who wishes not to be named.

  Salinger wanted to . . . his two sisters: This paragraph is based on the Salinger-New Yorker letters in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  Earlier in 1941 . . . newly sanctioned draft: J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  PRIVATE SALINGER

  A week after . . . Army volunteer: These letters are at Princeton.

  “I am of the opinion . . . [as an officer]”: Baker’s letter about Salinger is at Princeton. It’s also discussed in J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  “I have known . . . that direction”: Burnett’s letter about Salinger is at Princeton. It’s also discussed in J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  In the early summer . . . Bainbridge, Georgia: This paragraph is based on the Salinger-Burnett correspondence which is at Princeton.

  In September . . . Lois Tagget”: Ibid.

  On December 12 . . . the narrator’s brother: The copies of Collier’s in which Salinger published stories are contained in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  “I am very much interested . . . conductive to writing”: The Salinger-Burnett correspondence is at Princeton.

  He had written her . . . romance with Oona: O’Neill by Arthur and Barbara Gelb and Trio by Aram Saroyan.

  In the early part . . . Finch Junior College: This letter from Salinger to Burnett is at Princeton.

  Theirs had been an affair . . . for a while: Chaplin: His Life and Art by David Robinson, DaCapo Press, 1994.

  “Contrary to my preconceived impression . . . we sat and talked”: Charles Chaplin: My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin, Plume, 1992.

  Their conversation lead . . . never spoke to her again: Chaplin: His Life and Art by David Robinson, DaCapo Press, 1994.

  Needless to say . . . his own writing: Much of the information in this paragraph is taken from a letter by Salinger to Burnett which is at Princeton.

  The Saturday Evening Post . . . in Hollywood: A copy of the Saturday Evening Post in which “The Varioni Brothers” appears is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  During these months . . . an evening gown: This letter from Salinger to Burnett is at Princeton.

  As for Salinger’s . . . rejected as well: Ibid.

  “[H]e wrote . . . write stories”: Maxwell, BMOC News.

  A week later, still feeling . . . for the decision: These two letters are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  By March . . . tiresome and predictable: This paragraph is based on information contained in “Sonny: An Introduction.”

  On April 15 . . . For keeps, lik
e: The Saturday Evening Post in which “Soft-Boiled Sergeant” appeared is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  In mid-April . . . “end of the war”: This letter is at Princeton.

  By late 1943 . . . next four months: The description of the D-Day invasion comes from Modern European History by John R. Barber. Salinger’s involvement is mentioned in “Sonny: An Introduction.”

  On June 12, not a week after . . . supposed to show him: This document is at Princeton.

  Two weeks later, Salinger . . . accepted the story at this time: Ibid.

  When they saw the Americans . . . little joy in it: Ibid.

  Once he got to the hotel . . . made him appealing: This scene is mentioned in “Sonny: An Introduction” and J. D. Salinger by Warren French. It’s also included in By Force of Will: The Life and Art of Ernest Hemingway by Scott Donaldson, Viking Press, 1977.

  On a subsequent occasion, Hemingway dropped . . . much less condoned: Ibid.

  After leaving Paris, the Fourth Division . . . bureaucratic foul-ups: Dirty Little Secrets of World War II by James F. Dunnigan and Albert A. Nofi, Quill/William Morrow, 1994.

  Not long after . . . Christmas Day 1944: Modern Times by Paul Johnson. “If possible . . . you may have heard”: This letter is at Princeton.

  Late in 1944 . . . to go home: Gloria Murray gave me a copy of this V-mail from Salinger to Elizabeth Murray.

  That story . . . come home soon: A copy of the Saturday Evening Post containing “A Boy in France” is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  SYLVIA

  Finally, in early July . . . beyond that: In the future Salinger discussed his breakdown with Elizabeth Murray and Leila Hadley, which I learned from my interviews with Gloria Murray and Hadley. He also wrote about his breakdown in this letter to Hemingway, which is at Princeton.

  In September . . . Department of Defense: In Search of J. D. Salinger by Ian Hamilton, Random House, 1988. Sylvia is also discussed in “Sonny: An Introduction” and “The Search for the Mysterious J. D. Salinger.”

  In October . . . brother in action: The copy of Esquire containing “This Sandwich Has No Mayonnaise” is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  Next, on December 1 . . . other, lovingly: The Collier’s containing “The Stranger” is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  “The more serious . . . in Lolita”: J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  The last story . . . excessive, attention: The Collier’s containing “I’m Crazy” is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  Salinger returned . . . returned to Europe: In Search of J. D. Salinger by Ian Hamilton. Sylvia is also discussed in “Sonny: An Introduction” and “The Search for the Mysterious J. D. Salinger.”

  Later, when he tried . . . about to take place: This episode comes from my interview with Leila Hadley.

  On Wednesday nights . . . “an important writer”: This passage comes from the chapter entitled “When Hemingway Hurts Bad Enough, He Cries” from Choice People by A. E. Hotchner, William Morrow, 1984.

  SEYMOUR GLASS, ETC.

  On the morning of November 19 . . . after all: This letter from Salinger to Maxwell is in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  After much discussion . . . “Bowling Balls”: The document on which this list appeared is at Princeton.

  According to internal notes . . . “one third done”: Ibid.

  When Burnett submitted . . . the book down”: The Burnett letter on which this paragraph is based is at Princeton.

  The first was . . . page 222: The Mademoiselle containing “A Young Girl” is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  The second story . . . on action: The Cosmopolitan containing “The Inverted Forest” was given to me by Michael Solomon.

  At the New Yorker . . . January 31, 1948: The Salinger-New Yorker correspondence is in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  In February . . . “in an incinerator”: A copy of Good Housekeeping containing “A Girl I Knew” is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  Uncle Wiggily” . . . love is gone: “Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut,” Nine Stories, Little, Brown, 1953.

  Salinger’s next story . . . never answered: “Just Before the War with the Eskimos,” Nine Stories, Little Brown, 1953.

  “He was dressed . . . in person”: These quotes come from my interviews with Gloria Murray.

  Salinger wrote to . . . March 19: The Salinger-New Yorker letters are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  In this story . . . was published: “The Laughing Man,” Nine Stories, Little, Brown, 1953.

  In April . . . “very young people”: The Harper’s containing “Down at the Dinghy” and Salinger’s contributor’s note, which includes direct quotes from Salinger’s letter to the magazine’s editors, is in the general collection of the New York Public Library.

  On October 3, Lobrano . . . the New Yorker: The Salinger-New Yorker letters are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  At some point during 1949 . . . back for months: This section is based on my interview with Robert Giroux as well as Ian Hamilton’s description of the incident in In Search of J. D. Salinger.

  Salinger had not . . . then left: This description of Salinger’s visit to Sarah Lawrence comes from William Maxwell’s piece on Salinger in the BMOC News.

  “During Salinger’s brief stay . . . a more catchy title”: “Lasting Impressions” by Peter De Vries, Esquire, December 1981. (This is part of a salute to The Catcher in the Rye on the thirtieth anniversary of its publication.)

  Earlier in the year . . . in early 1950: Goldwyn: A Biography by A. Scott Berg, Alfred A. Knopf, 1989.

  1950

  On January 21, 1950 . . . American popular standard: Ibid.

  “Every so often . . . My Foolish Heart”: This quote comes from “The Screen in Review” by Bosley Crowther which ran in the New York Times on January 20, 1950.

  In the New Yorker . . . a couple of years ago”: This quote comes from “The Current Cinema” by John McCarten which ran in the New Yorker on January 28, 1950.

  “In the future . . . Hollywood once”’: This quote comes from my interview with A. Scott Berg.

  The story begins . . . ever asking why: “For Esmé—With Love and Squalor,” Nine Stories, Little, Brown, 1953.

  On August 2 . . . my office”: The note from Salinger to Carol Montgomery Newman as well as Newman’s quote about Salinger come from material supplied to me by the Special Collections Department of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

  One British publisher . . . ready to talk: The Salinger-Hamish Hamilton correspondence is at Princeton.

  It was then that . . . Eugene Reynal: This account is remembered by Robert Giroux.

  Toward the end of 1950 . . . thought it belonged: The Salinger-New Yorker letters are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  Leila Hadley . . . for a decade: From my interview with Leila Hadley. See also A Religious Response to the Existentialist Dilemma in the Fiction of J. D. Salinger by Elizabeth N. Kurian, Intellectual Publishing House.

  THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

  Consequently, like many . . . radiation treatments: Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of the New Yorker by Thomas Kunkel, Random House, 1995.

  Maxwell’s profile . . . “and the imagination”: The BMOC News material was reprinted in The Book of the Month: Sixty Years of Books in American Life edited by Al Silverman, Little, Brown, 1986.

  As for the acclaim Catcher received . . . “demoralizing”: This quote from Eloise Perry Hazard is included in J. D. Salinger by Warren French.

  So, on April 17 . . . on schedule: The Salinger-Hamish Hamilton letters are at Princeton.

  In mid-May . . . for Even
song: This paragraph is based on letters in the Salinger-Hamish Hamilton correspondence at Princeton.

  In early September . . . optimistically: The Salinger-Ross letters are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.

  In mid-November . . . short letter: These two letters, one from Lobrano and one from Salinger, are in the Rare Books and Manuscript Division of the New York Public Library.