SALINGER ON THE GLASS FAMILY AND ON DETACHMENT. SALINGER, J.D. 1919-2010. Three early letters, t...

SALINGER ON THE GLASS FAMILY AND ON DETACHMENT. SALINGER, J.D. 1919-2010. Three early letters, two typed and one autograph, signed ('Jerry Salinger' and 'Jerry') to Deirdre Cooney discussing his own writing, including the novel he's finishing, 'a bigger wilder book... about the family of the narrator of... FOR ESME * WITH LOVE AND SQUALOR ...' and mentioning Seymour and 'PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH' [caps Salinger's]: 1. Typed Letter Signed ('Jerry Salinger') on his life, writing and the Glass family, 'it may very well turn out I'm doing a ghost story...,' 2 pp, 275 x 215 mm, Windsor, VT, July 10, 1954, portions of original autograph transmittal envelope present, with original photographic print of the snapshot of Deirdre Cooney mentioned in the letter supplied. 2. Autograph Letter Signed ('Jerry') on travel plans and trying to arrange a meeting, 1 p, 256 x 180 mm, ink on paper, Windsor, VT, July 18, 1954, original autograph transmittal envelope present. 3. Typed Letter Signed ('Jerry') about Gone With the Wind, and a long meditation on detachment, and 'Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes,' 2 pp, 275 x 215 mm, Windsor, VT, August 23, 1954, original autograph transmittal envelope present (with tears). THREE FANTASTIC SALINGER LETTERS WITH WONDERFUL LITERARY CONTENT. Deirdre Cooney, raised in a literary family on a farm outside of Northampton, MA, had written to Salinger the summer after her junior year in high school. She had been profoundly affected by Catcher, after it was recommended to her by her heavily Catholic grandmother. He responded with a number of warm, funny and enlightening letters, three of which survive today. In the first, he provides new and interesting background on the origins and development of the Glass family. He notes that he has been to New York to let some friends know he is nearing the end of a novel. He elaborates, the novel 'is part of a bigger, wilder book. I've been at it for years ... By and large, its about the family of the narrator of a story I did called FOR ESME * WITH LOVE AND SQUALOR. His brothers and sisters, all of whom were prodigies at one time....' He goes into greater detail of the family, including mention of Seymour and 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish,' and noting three other siblings he has never used (thus the reference to 'ghost story'). Although several scholars have theorized a connection between Sargeant X and Seymour Glass, no primary document has so clearly spelled out the relationship. Salinger's expression of the Glass family cycle of stories as part of 'a bigger, wilder book' is an interesting glimpse into his process and the way in which he viewed the stories. Although he was getting near the end of a novel, Salinger did not release another book until Franny and Zooey appeared in 1961, collecting the two stories which appeared in The New Yorker in 1955 and 1957 respectively, apparently parts of the novel he was conceiving here in the summer of 1954. In the rest of the letter, he offers humorous observation and detail on his life,and steadfastly refuses to return a photograph of her, which Deirdre's father had slipped into her original letter against her wishes, 'I'm sorry about your picture Deirdre, but those are the terrible risks we take in this world. You can't trust a soul.' The original photograph was never returned. After a short autograph letter a week later, regarding a potential visit, he does not write for a month. He begins by blaming the book, asserting he was '... just now beginning to find my way out, or through.' He continues with a quintessentially Salinger passage that would not be out of place in his book work. He begins by noting that the letters from Deirdre were helpful to him ('a tonic'), and mentions Gone With the Wind, champagne and Jane Austen. He continues with a long, eloquent note on detachment, in part: '... Don't hate subways and airplanes and elevators and growing up. Just make an effort to see them for what they are - without too much emotional emphasis on them being Good or Bad - and then let go ... A detached person, for example, ought to see a snake as a snake, and not as a snake-plus-a-shudder. A snake-plus-a-shudder is not a snake, but something the observer added on his own. No one is asking you to like snakes or elevators ... Don't stew in subways. Don't make personal enemies of elevators. You don't have to agree with elevators esthetically, but don't be personally offended by them....' He continues with a nice paragraph on his composition of 'Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes,' which Deirdre had expressed a distaste for. He offers notes on his process, and observes 'There are two good things about the story, however many faults it has, but it doesn't seem quite seemly to point them out.' He adds that the fact that he wants to point them out, makes it likely the story is likely as poor as people seem to think. Salinger letters with this high-level literary content are exceedingly rare. For the complete story of this excellent correspondence, please see Bonifaz, Deirdre. 'Letters from Salinger,' The Massachusetts Review, 51:4, Winter, 2010, pp 776-788, a copy of the original issue included with this lot. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing