2010/01/29 Key West
Fan mail
Ambition
In his obituary in the Times Charles McGrath writes: ‘As a young man, Mr. Salinger yearned ardently for just this kind of attention. He bragged in college about his literary talent and ambitions, and wrote swaggering letters to Whit Burnett, the editor of Story magazine. But success, once it arrived, paled quickly for him. He told the editors of Saturday Review that he was “good and sick” of seeing his photograph on the dust jacket of “The Catcher in the Rye” and demanded that it be removed from subsequent editions. He ordered his agent to burn any fan mail.’
To burn fan mail might be a healthy thing to do.
“For Esmé - with Love and Squalor” remains one of the most beautiful short stories I’ve ever read.
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24 comments 
http://scriptorpress.yage.net/BM16_2001_salinger.pdf , so you can all read this story if you didn't already.
Keep your faculties intact
I didn't but i do now and i want to thank you, Veerle, and Arnon, and Salinger of course (but i cant thank him because he dont read his fan mail anymore).Strange reading day yesterday, in the morning I picked up Franny and Zooey (not Leatherbound, sorry).
Read it to and from work in the train, finished it at home, turned on the news and heard JD Salinger died.
This morning I picked up Mulisch's"two woman"
I will look at the 10 o'clock tonight with anticipation.
Now we will have to wait and see what will come out of the safe of JD Salinger.
Read it to and from work in the train, finished it at home, turned on the news and heard JD Salinger died.
This morning I picked up Mulisch's"two woman"
I will look at the 10 o'clock tonight with anticipation.
Now we will have to wait and see what will come out of the safe of JD Salinger.
To Veerle
Is this story as well to be read before a certain age?Never read something of him before... I guess today is a good day to get a book of him and read it.
arnon
What came first: tabletennis or this great story?I was making a retreat at sea, so I didn't hear about Salinger until this morning. I'm in mourning. What a sad thing to happen, although this may mean his unpublished work might be published?
The saddest thing about it is that no one thought it to be important enough to text me to retreat. The little they know.
The saddest thing about it is that no one thought it to be important enough to text me to retreat. The little they know.
I know you don't burn your fanmail, Mr. Arnon. I still remember a letter I sent to New York which came back as undeliverably, but I already told you that.
( Don't flip )
This blog automatically changes any incoming message into Greenwich time, or Arnon's lap is set in Greenwich time; or he is not where he pretends to be: - since the blog is always chronological and never flipping. (Right or wrong deduction? ) Am I the only one here being slightly paranoid? If this is all some general agreed non outspoken consensus I don't like it. The word "volksverlakkerij" comes in to mind.
Could anyone give me some comprehensible explanation? ( Einstein enthusiasts - go ahead ).
Godverdomme.
This blog automatically changes any incoming message into Greenwich time, or Arnon's lap is set in Greenwich time; or he is not where he pretends to be: - since the blog is always chronological and never flipping. (Right or wrong deduction? ) Am I the only one here being slightly paranoid? If this is all some general agreed non outspoken consensus I don't like it. The word "volksverlakkerij" comes in to mind.
Could anyone give me some comprehensible explanation? ( Einstein enthusiasts - go ahead ).
Godverdomme.
@Pim
Usually the talent of foresight doesn't go along with a strong will: In your case: Wising Mulisch' s death.paranoia
Marietje,Thanks for reminding me of W.F. Hermans.
Anyway, the blog is set on greenwich time, so all incoming messages be it by the blogger or us, people who need a place to ventilate their feelings are timed in like that. simple.
@david
I wish I could wise-out some people under the daisies. But not Mr. Mulisch.It's just that he was one of the few living writers on my bookshelves from whom there is not much more to expect. And so the choice made my test of foresight not to dramatic.
Karol
Ping-pong.Pjotr
Young at heart, as for most things in life.Kill your idols, not the fanmail.
GT
Arnon is my idol. Wich method should I use to kill him?Dens
I once sent a cigar box ( changed into theatrical scenes) to Arnon. Don't know if he ever received it.Nice sentence!
Arnon's lap is set on Greenwich time.Marietje
In fact, this blog and all comments use the time and date in the Netherlands, for more or less obvious reasons.And besides it being quite logical, it was the easiest to do too, since it is the time set on the server...
Mieke
I told you before, you need to take it easy idolizing Arnon, or anyone for that matter. Nobody escapes the shitty bits of life. Besides, why idolize a man who goes to prositutes for sex?I am sure you are a lady with plenty of fine qualities yourself that doesn't need to put other people on a pedestale. You keep putting yourself down because Arnon always ignores you. Can you find some (virtual) pride in yourself?
G T
Thank 's for your reponse.Somehow I still consider idolising Arnon to be an innocent pastime.
Besides, Arnon bestowed more attention upon me then I could hope for. Not by the medium of this blog, true, but then , I am more interested by the interactions by the others here then waiting for an reaction by Arnon.
P.S. I speak to prostitutes and madams, does this make me a lesser person?
Of course not my dear, just never become one yourself!
G T
I sometimes wonder if not every profession holds in it an element of prostitution.Side effects
In the "Talk of the Town" section of this week's New Yorker, there are a few eulogies with some nice Salinger anecdotes in them. I particularly liked: "He didn't care about reviews, he said, but the "side effects" bothered him."[ Add comment ]
