December 2019 Auction Ends Thursday, December 12th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/12/2019
Fantastic set of J.D. Salinger letters, one signed ''J.D. Salinger'' from Windsor, Vermont in 1953, and one lengthy 2pp. letter, unsigned, both to a fellow writer whom Salinger clearly admired. The first letter is dated 18 April 1953, a period of flux for Salinger as he was adjusting to newfound fame post-''Catcher''. He hints at the transition in one of his first letters to the author Rose-Ellen Currie, in part, ''...I'm not sure that I'm not best left as a pink light, but I do thank you for you that exceptionally nice letter. So generous and thoughtful...Who is our mutual friend? I don't seem to know who any of my friends are anymore...[signed] J.D. Salinger''. Letter measures 8.5'' x 11''. Folds, else near fine, accompanied by original mailing envelope.
Second letter, signed in type ''Charles of the Ritz'', is a passionate and endearing defense of Currie's writing, against a critic who deemed them ''imitative'', which ''irritates hell out of'' Salinger. Dated 15 January from Windsor, Vermont, Salinger's letter not only reveals his own response to literary criticism, but also his connection to his literary characters, writing ''I know from experience how impossible it it to lose the people you fell in love with in your twenties''. Letter reads in small part, ''...That typically fecal, editorial note from the Junior Expatriate in Paris, Glenway Westcott Division, irritates hell out of me, and I hope he does you, too. He's a pustule-abroad type I know so well, a champion of Colette, a sweetheart of Skull and Bones and Coceau, and if you take seriously anything he has to say, you may as well go bury yourself in a grave of old Harper's Bazaars. Your stories are not imitative of the Person he mentioned. Not one bit. If there's anything there's a tendency of some of your characters to break out into italicized dialogue now and then, but if that's imitative, then so's the use of quotation marks and commas...I'll tell you what I think, though. both stories reek of talent...'' Salinger then gives Currie a thoughtful analysis of her stories, continuing, ''...I mind your struggling with the sheer mechanics of handling highly stylized characters - so early, I mean. Evenetually [sic] you'll have to go back to these people - I see that, I see that - but at least while you're waiting, wouldn't it be good to get one naked Rose-Ellen book over and done with? [Your characters] will wait for you very patiently. I promise you you'll overtake them sooner or later, or they'll overtake you. I know from experience how impossible it it to lose the people you fell in love with in your twenties...Enough said. If not too much...'' Two pages and two sheets measure 8.5'' x 11''. Folds, with small separation along middle fold of both pages. Very good condition. Rose-Ellen Currie would go on to publish a short story in ''The New Yorker'' and then the novel ''Available Light'' in 1986.
J.D. Salinger Letter Signed From 1953, ''...I don't seem to know who any of my friends are any more...'' -- Also With a Passionate 2pp. Letter to a Fellow Writer, ''...Both stories reek of talent...''
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