In Search of J. D. Salinger

I picked up a copy of this book in a used book store recently. I remember reading reviews about the book and the "fair use" controversy when it was first blocked and then later revised and published. I'm glad I finally read it. Like Hamilton, I fell under Salinger's spell in my youth, and I enjoyed reading Hamilton's account of the Salinger attraction. It is true that Hamilton's stylistic affectation of carrying on "debates" with his alter ego "biographer" can be distracting at first, but I found some of the points he made about his conflicting views and motives while researching and writing the book instructive. In fact, Hamilton did a good deal of orignial research, turned up some valuable new information about Salinger, especially in letters that were not previously known, and wrote a fair and balanced account of the difficulties of writing a biography about a writer as complicated and contradictory as J.D. Salinger. This is a good book both for Salinger fans, and for those who just don't get the Salinger phenomenon. I came away with a better understanding of Salinger's appeal and of the neuroses that account for it. There were many moments when I found myself agreeing with Hamilton even when I had a somewhat different take on Salinger and his possible motives. But Hamilton allows for those differences and provides the evidence for arriving at them.

The book became a cause celebre when Salinger himself came out of hiding in 1984 to challenge Hamilton's right to quote from his unpublished letters, and his suit was upheld on appeal. The book, already in galleys, had to be rewritten and none of the trove of material that Hamilton had uncovered could be used. So what we're left with is a sketchy biography, that only goes up to 1965, the date of Salinger's last publication ("Hapworth 16, 1924"-the long story that's supposed to be republished as a book one of these years). But most anyone interested in Salinger will enjoy reading this book regardless. It's well written, objective, often funny, and creates a believable picture of the man. The definitive biography will be some time in coming-the outstanding question, of course, is what has he written (and saved) since 1965-but if you're looking for SOMETHING new about Salinger in the meantime, this is well worth your time.

After recently beginning Paul Alexander's biography, I was delighted to stumble upon Ian Hamilton's cautious, yet entertaining, meta-biography. He doesn't dwell and gets on with his story. Hamilton does a great job of exposing the split personality of the biographer: as both neophyte and leech upon the creative world. Hamilton questions the validity of the "simplest" details of his subject's secret life. His honesty and reverence for Salinger result in a well-executed piece of writing; the best I've read anyway.

Although my primary motive for reading this book was research for a school paper, I was soon reading it for pleasure. The author's writing style is appealing, intelligent, and humorous. The comprehensive description and analysis of J.D. Salinger's life before he went into seclusion keeps the reader interested, not only in what Salinger did, but in how it was viewed by the world around him. Hamilton peppers the text with well-chosen quotes from both Salinger's works (both the well-known books and short stories as well as the lesser known short stories published by magazines) and from his contemporaries. Although Hamilton could not directly base his biography of Salinger off of an interview, his sources are well documented and believable.