Re: basics
Colin Pink (colin@cpink.demon.co.uk)
Sat, 10 Jul 1999 10:01:01 +0100
In message <80532650.24b7ed48@aol.com>, Squeila@aol.com writes
>ed, i would love to talk about salinger with you. i am studying at harvard
>this summer, and in the rare books library there is a copy of "the complete
>uncollected stories of j.d. salinger," so i will get a chance to read all
>those stories that i have never read. i cant take the book out, obviously,
>so ive been going in daily with whatever free time i can scrounge, to read
>it. which are your favorites? anybody? i would love pointers on which
>stories you all like, or things i should pay attention to, and whatnot. let
>me know.
>
>leila
Lucky you. I have those books. I found them in an ordinary bookshop in
the Charing Cross Road, London many years ago and almost fainted when I
saw them! They were 2.50 each.
All the stories are interesting. The stories in the second vol tend to
be of a higher standard because they are the later ones. Some of them,
like 'Blue Melody', 'A Girl I Knew', 'A Young Girl in 1941 with no
Waitst at all' it is hard to understand why he excluded from his story
collection. My personal favourite of them all is 'A Girl I Knew'.
But many of the early stories have great charm. The problem with some
of the early ones, which they have in common with some of the very late
ones, is that they have a tendency to be overly sentimental. I think if
JDS has a writing vice that is it.
But if you like JDS published work you'll love most and probably all of
what can be found in the 'Uncollected'. Apart from the joy of getting
to read more stuff by JDS their other main interest is the way they show
the evolution of JDS style and his growing preoccupation with certain
subject matter.
'The Inverted Forest' is very interesting because it shows an early
attempt at creating a kind of prototype Seymour, tortured poet who
transcends normal experience, sort of character.
--
Colin Pink