Lot 322

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Description:

Salinger Fantastic Signed Letter Re: Annoying Roommates and a "Depressive" Young Man 

SALINGER, J. D. Typed Letter Signed, “Jerry”, 2 pp. on his usual goldenrod paper, May 5, 1972, [Cornish], 8.5” x 11”. Expected mailing folds, minor tear at bottom of first page, else near Fine condition. Accompanied by the original “Air Mail” envelope.

Portions of the letter have been electronically redacted to protect the privacy of both the letter's author and its recipient.  The letter itself has no redaction and is legible in full.

Salinger’s letter begins with his thoughts on a dating interest of his close friend and aspiring writer, Eileen Paddison, with whom he maintained a correspondence of over fifteen years: “The boy Leo sounds diverting and interesting for you, somebody whose company you can enjoy…” At the time, Eileen was 19 years old, so it may be deduced that Leo was around that age as well, within a few years of the age of the fictional Holden Caulfield, when he “went madman” on the streets of New York City. Salinger cautions Eileen to “be wise and self-aware” before offering his insight about mental health in young men. “If he’s a depressive, as you say he is, keep that complicated and not-very-promising factor in mind.” Salinger may have been speaking from personal experience, although it is most likely his experience with psychology had more to do with his post-traumatic stress from serving in World War I than from any innate psychological condition.

The letter goes on, with a discussion of Salinger’s raw food diet: “My food thing … I try to eat every food in its most nearly natural state … I make exceptions for pizza...”

Though brief, the mention of a bothersome roommate is a gem in any Salinger letter: “Your roommate Kathy would drive me buggy, too.” In “The Catcher in the Rye”, Holden must deal with his roommates at Pencey, Stradiater, a vain and boorish womanizer, and Ackley, who is endlessly annoying.

Salinger’s insightful portrait of a young man’s mental health breakdown captured readers in 1951, when “The Catcher in the Rye” was first published. At that time, Salinger was on the cutting edge of persons willing to talk about and explore mental health, leaving some confused, and one would-be publisher to ask after reading the manuscript, “Is Holden Caufield supposed to be crazy?” (before rejecting it). While Salinger was able to discuss mental health through his character Holden, it is rare for him to ever discuss mental health issues, or their implications, directly, as he does in this letter.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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May 26, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

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