31 Jan 2011 23:11:45
he 50 letters and four postcards have been donated to a British university, which made them public Thursday on the first anniversary of the author's death at the age of 91. They show that the enigmatic writer of "The Catcher in the Rye" was an affectionate friend who enjoyed gardening, trips to the theater and church suppers — and thought one restaurant chain's burgers were better than the rest.
Chris Bigsby, professor of American studies at the letters' new home, the University of East Anglia, said they challenge Salinger's image as a near-hermit holed up in his New England home.
"These letters show a completely different man," Bigbsy said. "This is a man who goes on (bus) parties to Nantucket or Niagara or the Grand Canyon and enjoys chatting to people along the way.
"He goes to art galleries and theater and travels to London to see (Alan) Ayckbourn and (Anton) Chekhov plays. He was out and about."
The letters were written to Donald Hartog, a Londoner who met Salinger in 1938 when both were teenagers in Vienna, sent by their families to learn German. They corresponded after returning home — Salinger to try his hand as a writer, Hartog eventually going into the food import-export business.
The pair wrote to one another during World War II — in which Salinger fought as a soldier in the U.S. Army — but after a few years the friendship lapsed. Hartog's daughter Frances said her father burned those early letters while clearing out the house prior to a move.
"When we were kids it was sort of a joke — 'My dad knew Salinger and burnt the letters,'" she said. "He was de-cluttering. He said, 'I looked at them and just thought, this guy's not going anywhere.'"
Chris Bigsby, professor of American studies at the letters' new home, the University of East Anglia, said they challenge Salinger's image as a near-hermit holed up in his New England home.
"These letters show a completely different man," Bigbsy said. "This is a man who goes on (bus) parties to Nantucket or Niagara or the Grand Canyon and enjoys chatting to people along the way.
"He goes to art galleries and theater and travels to London to see (Alan) Ayckbourn and (Anton) Chekhov plays. He was out and about."
The letters were written to Donald Hartog, a Londoner who met Salinger in 1938 when both were teenagers in Vienna, sent by their families to learn German. They corresponded after returning home — Salinger to try his hand as a writer, Hartog eventually going into the food import-export business.
The pair wrote to one another during World War II — in which Salinger fought as a soldier in the U.S. Army — but after a few years the friendship lapsed. Hartog's daughter Frances said her father burned those early letters while clearing out the house prior to a move.
"When we were kids it was sort of a joke — 'My dad knew Salinger and burnt the letters,'" she said. "He was de-cluttering. He said, 'I looked at them and just thought, this guy's not going anywhere.'"
