Imagine your favorite author. You read all his/her books, follow his/her life, and finally you decide to send him/her a fan letter to show how much you appreciate and admire his/her work. Now imagine your favorite author writing back to you and keeping up a correspondence with you for two years. This is exactly what happened between aspiring Canadian writer Marjorie Sheard and famed author of The Catcher of the Rye, J.D. Salinger, between 1941 and 1943. The letters that he wrote to Marjorie are currently on display at The Morgan Library until January 14th. Known as a private person, Salinger’s letters are a unique glimpse into the personal life of one of America’s famous novelists.
The exhibit features a glass case displaying letters and postcards that JD Salinger wrote to Marjorie about his new career as a short story author, along with advice Salinger gave her on how to get her stories published. The first letter he wrote to her is a thank you letter saying how much he appreciates that she read his story that was published in Esquire Magazine. Marjorie also sent him a story that she wrote, hoping she could get feedback from a published author. Not only did Salinger take the time to write back to her, but he also read her story, and responded that she had great potential and that she should try sending it to some magazines.
The next two letters are handwritten, perhaps implying that he felt more comfortable with her and didn’t want to sound too formal. In the first letter he says that one of his short stories, “The Heart of a Token Story” had just been published in a prestigious magazine. He must have felt very comfortable with her because he then asks her to send a picture of herself to him. This is amusing because the next letter he writes to her looks more formal and he apologizes for “the giddy note I wrote you asking for a picture.” There is a beautiful picture of Marjorie in the exhibit, showing that even though he apologized to her, she must have sent it to him anyway. In another letter, he tells her about his newest short story to be published, called “Slight Rebellion off Madison” which ended up being the basis for The Catcher in the Rye. Marjorie was the first to be introduced to the characters in the novel and get a glimpse of this famous work. When the book was later published, one can only imagine the delight Marjorie must have felt at knowing she had seen the origin of the novel.
While in the army in the spring of 1942, Salinger corresponded with Marjorie via postcard. He shares with her how mundane army life was, and by the fall he says that he might be deployed and to imagine him “leading me little platoon over the top.” He then sends her more letters from when he was in the Army Air Forces Basic Flying School. In the letters they both shared anecdotes from their romantic life and Marjorie shared that one of her stories had been rejected from The New Yorker. Salinger offers words of comfort, saying that she should not feel discouraged and “lose not heart.”
The last thing that Salinger ever sends to her is a postcard saying his newest story, “The Varioni Brothers,” has been published. It’s short and formal and does not sound like his previous letters. Maybe Salinger had enough of this correspondence. Maybe he thought it was not leading him anywhere or maybe he thought he was now too famous to be a pen pal with an unknown writer. Regardless of this, he signs the letter “Wistfully, JDS.”
The letters and postcards leave much to be determined about Salinger and Marjorie. Yet a true fondness is clear, and besides for that it is a rare treat to see such an intimate account of a correspondence between an author and a beloved fan.