Oona O'Neill
Camille Scaysbrook (verona_beach@geocities.com)
Wed, 10 Mar 1999 12:15:32 +1100
I was browsing at the library yesterday when I came across what seems to be
a new biography of Oona O'Neill (the library only bought it last month so I
assume so) by Jane Scovell. Naturally I had a quick flick through for
Salinger references - unfortunately there's very little if anything here
that we didn't already know. Three references - but also a few little
telling details. We have a quote (!) - I don't believe I've heard it before
either - to the effect of `Dear little Oona is passionately in love with
dear little Oona' - which puts quite a different spin to the story we've
all heard that Salinger was heartbroken and distraught and all when she ran
off with Charlie Chaplin (although the famously vituperative letter he
wrote on the subject is mentioned here too - no quotes but apparently it
details Chaplin dosed up with goat glands - i.e. natural Viagra - `waving
his prostrate around'.)
Another interesting detail - the old story about William Saroyan's fiancee
replacing her letters with Salinger's is here. But it mentions also that
Oona was very upset when she saw the tale recounted in so many books and
articles and was afraid that Salinger would think that she had
intentionally tried to violate his privacy.
All sounds a lot less facile than a lot of the other reports of the
relationship I've heard.
Camille
verona_beach@geocities.com
@ THE ARTS HOLE http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6442
@ THE INVERTED FOREST http://www.angelfire.com/pa/invertedforest
Camille
verona_beach@geocities.com
@ THE ARTS HOLE http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Theater/6442
@ THE INVERTED FOREST http://www.angelfire.com/pa/invertedforest