Synopses & Reviews
Salinger: A Biography is the first full-length, popular account of American literature's great recluse in over thirty-years, giving new insights into the author of
Salinger was one of the most successful writers of American short fiction - the quintessential
New Yorker writer - when he was only in his twenties and thirties. Then, mysteriously, he withdrew from the world, retiring to a cabin in New Hampshire where he continues to write; he has not been published since the early 1960's.
Paul Alexander, a bestselling biographer and journalist has carefully researched and masterfully describes Salinger the icon. He answers the numerous questions that encircle the life and legacy of J.D. Salinger: Why did critics become unreceptive to Salinger's stories as he grew older? Why are the important women of his life so much younger than he? Why does he sometimes seem to be playing peek-a-boo with his admirers? If he truly wants to be left alone, why does he leave so many clues? Why have his books been linked to famously psychotic youths such as the assassin of John Lennon and the would-be assassin of President Reagan?
Review
"As good a biography of Salinger as we're likely to get for a while. Alexander...[has] succeeded in placing Salinger in the context of his times, and in finding in the author's life seeds of inspiration for his fiction." --
Boston Globe"Alexander has drawn an eerie portrait of an increasingly eccentric writer whose attempts to maintain his privacy [are] actually...a manipulative way of promoting himself and his books." --Library Journal
"Alexander documents, among other things, Salinger's nervous breakdown after World War II; his hatred of New York publishers; his hatred of Hollywood; and his ugly divorce from Clair Douglas." --Liz Smith
"For hardcore fans, this biography is a must." --Toronto Sun
'It is safe to say that Alexander will not be making any friends among the faithful by bringing us even closer to a man who wants to be known only as the creator of Holden Caulfield." --New York Magazine
"Alexander's volume is a major publishing event...A skilled investigative reporter, journalist, and biographer. Alexander surveyed numerous archives...to get his 'story'...Strongly recommended." --Choice
Synopsis
In researching
Salinger: A Biography, journalist and biographer Paul Alexander conducted over forty interviews with major literary figures including George Plimpton, Gay Talese, Ian Hamilton, Harold Bloom, Roger Angell, A. Scott Berg, Robert Giroux, Ved Mehta, Gordon Lish, and Tom Wolfe. Alexander's research also took him to newly available archives at Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia universities, NYU, and the New York Public Library. Response from critics has been overwhelming.
About the Author
Paul Alexander holds an M.F.A. from the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. He is the author of biographies of Sylvia Plath, James Dean, and Andy Warhol. A former reporter for
Time, he has written for numerous magazines, most recently including
Mirabella and
Rolling Stone. He is a currently a featured political correspondent for Bloomberg News.