*Before and After. The Double Voice Poem, “Famous,” was crafted from the details of Salinger’s early life, before he began writing, which I read bits and pieces of in all of my sources. I was particularly impacted by Salinger’s words to a friend during his college years. He said, “I’ve got to be a writer. Charlie, I have to be a writer. I have to” (Alexander 52). I was struck by how obviously passionate the young Salinger was about the work he had to share and how eager he was to publish it for the rest of the world to see –and what a contrast that was to the Salinger who retreated from the public eye and, some might say, from life itself.
*Outside Salinger’s House, 1994. I created this sign based on the many like it that biographer Paul Alexander noted seeing on Salinger’s property in Cornish, New Hampshire that year (20).
*Back to the beginning. I created this newspaper birth announcement mainly to highlight one detail I found interesting: that Salinger was born into a conflicted family. His father, Sol, was Jewish and the son of a Rabbi, and his mother, whom Sol married against his parents’ wishes, was Christian. She changed her name to sound “more Jewish” shortly before marrying Salinger’s father (Salinger 20).
*A Mediocre Student at Best. I created the report card using Salinger’s actual grades from the McBurney School. The grader’s end comment was paraphrased from a comment made by a teacher on Salinger’s transcript after he was asked not to return to the school (Alexander 38).
*Salinger at Columbia University. This was based on Salinger’s interactions and experiences with his mentor and writing teacher, Whit Burnett. Burnett would later publish Salinger’s first story, “The Young Folks,” in his literary magazine, Story. Salinger was paid $25 for the piece (Alexander 56-8).
*First Publication. The brief biography included in the letter is the actual biography that appeared in Story magazine (Alexander 58-9).
*Today, We Call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Though Salinger’s symptoms are made up and the date of admission and name of the hospital are educated guesses, it is true that Salinger received a diagnosis of “battle fatigue,” and fought to return back to battle (Salinger 67).
*How Salinger Felt. While working on the Catcher in the Rye, Salinger's mother described him as living in an apartment that was "dark and underwater-feeling, with black sheets and black furniture that seemed to match his depression" (Salinger 75). That quote inspired my poem.
*Family Photos:
Photo of Claire Salinger:
Photo of Margaret Salinger and J.D.:
Photo of “Matthew Salinger,” is actually photo of a young J.D.:
Photo of Salinger’s home:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.