J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salingerwas an American writer who won acclaim early in life. He led a very private life for more than a half-century. He published his final original work in 1965 and gave his last interview in 1980...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth1 January 1919
CountryUnited States of America
designed environment fall falling hear himself hit horrible keeps looking man men permitted riding special supply time
This fall I think you're riding for - it's a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn't permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole arrangement's designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn't supply them with.
writing heard euphemism
Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? It's never been anything but your religion.
good-night stars heart
Keep me up till five because all your stars are out, and for no other reason…Oh dare to do it Buddy! Trust your heart. You’re a deserving craftsman. It would never betray you. Good night. I’m feeling very much over-excited now, and a little dramatic, but I think I’d give almost anything on earth to see you writing a something, an anything, a poem, a tree, that was really and truly after your own heart.
believe writing heart
If only you’d remember before ever you sit down to write that you’ve been a reader long before you were ever a writer. You simply fix that fact in your mind, then sit very still and ask yourself, as a reader, what piece of writing in all the world Buddy Glass would most want to read if he had his heart’s choice. The next step is terrible, but so simple I can hardly believe it as I write it. You just sit down shamelessly and write the thing yourself. I won’t even underline that. It’s too important to be underlined.
mean eye heart
You take somebody that cries their goddam eyes out over phoney stuff in the movies, and nine times out of ten they're mean bastards at heart.
heart autumn garage
Your heart, Bessie, is an autumn garage.
stars writing heart
Were most of your stars out? Were you busy writing your heart out?
fed lousy mean scared unless
Did you ever get fed up? I said. “I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to go lousy unless you did something?
Yes. That's it. That's the document. Where did you get it?
hell instead saying
Why the hell don'tcha, instead of keep saying it?
funny memorable missing
Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.
mean scared feds
Did you ever get fed up?' I said. 'I mean did you ever get scared that everything was going to go lousy unless you did something?
point reached saying sure totally
We have now reached the point where we are totally sure what we are saying is true.
people plotting suspect
I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.