yes, and how 'bout poor, poor, Truman Capote? Shouldn't we and he have known when to let well enuff alone? Scottie Bowman wrote: > > I suspect compulsiveness is a personality trait of most writers, > not just Salinger. A real writer can hardly ever stop. And we > already know about that room-sized safe filling up with paper. > But one obvious explanation for his refusal to publish is never > addressed on this list: that the stuff may be - to his mind - simply > not good enough. And he could be right. > > For me, an obvious parallel is Hemingway. How vividly I remember > the years passing as we all waited for the one that was promised > after For Whom the Bell Tolls - the long-presaged `Big One', the one > that was going to express some final truths about `the land & > the sea & the air....' > > Some of us began to suspect he was reluctant to go out into > the really deep water ever again. And why not ? He'd already done > his share. > > But eventually arrived Across the River & into the Trees - a parody > of himself that only we, his acolytes, enjoyed. And The Old Man & > the Sea - a contrived yarn sufficiently respectable to win the Nobel > but now recognised as a symbol-sunk lead weight. After his suicide, > the remaining vast load of unpublished material was examined, > pruned, slapped about, rejigged & released to an embarassed public > by his family & hangers-on. > > Three tons of junk. > > Isn't possible that Salinger - with the same insight - wants to > avoid the same fate ? > > Scottie B.