Legends
From Bananafish
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Here's a list of rumored JDS appearances to be checked out. If you locate any of these or have any more to contribute, please add them!
Contents |
Giles Weaver
- Letters. The Phoenix (Winter 1970 and Spring 1971).
A '40s-era magazine called The Phoenix was resurrected in 1970. The first few issues contained, among other things, a few rambling letters and diary entries by a man calling himself "Giles Weaver".
There is some fairly strong evidence that these pieces were written by Salinger, though it's nothing conclusive. The style is very much like his and the situations described would fit his life at that period.
A few years later, Mark Phillips talked with the publishers of The Phoenix and was given some very strong indications that the submitter was indeed Salinger "weaving some guile". Mark wrote an article for the Saturday Review (November/December 1985, P 39) in which he describes the Giles Weaver pieces and the evidence for their authorship by Salinger.
The pieces themselves may be found in certain very good libraries in the Winter 1970 and Spring 1971 issues of The phoenix. They are, however, quite uneven and rather personal. They tell of the author's life around Northampton, Mass and southern Vermont and of his depression and thoughts on certain things. We come away not knowing whether to believe they are by Salinger or not, and being pseudonymous, we expect that's the correct way to approach them.
William Wharton
There were widespread rumors in 1981 that Salinger had reappeared with the pseudonym, William Wharton. The New York Times Book Review reported on this at that time. It turned out, though, that William Wharton was a real writer.
Wharton wrote Birdy the highly-acclaimed novel that the highly-acclaimed film of the same name (with an equally highly-acclaimed soundtrack by Peter Gabriel) was based on.
- William Wharton (1992). Birdy. Vintage Books. ISBN/ASIN 0679734120.
Thomas Pynchon
There have also been many rumors that Salinger was actually the same person as Thomas Pynchon. Now, anyone who reads both authors would know that the stylistic differences between the two are quite great, however this rumor persists. It has resurfaced with Pynchon's publication of his first new novel in quite a long time, Mason & Dixon, and Salinger's forthcoming Hapworth.
- Thomas Pynchon (1997). Mason & Dixon, hardcover, Henry Holt & Company, Inc.. ISBN/ASIN 0805037586.
- Thomas Pynchon. Mason & Dixon, paperback, Henry Holt & Company, Inc.. ISBN/ASIN 0805058370.
The Fall of the House of Glass (1975-78)
A manuscript surfaced between 1975 and 1978 called The Fall of the House of Glass and supposedly written by Salinger.
Sometime in this period, the Los Angeles Times Literary Supplement allegedly ran an article about this novel. However, this article could not be found in a rather extensive search by a documentary producer, so it may not exist.
We have been assured (in the first person) that one person at least has seen and held an advance copy of this book, so something of this name did exist. He says it was a full-length novel with plain covers saying "Advance Publisher's Review Copy" and listing J. D. Salinger as the author. Anyone have more info?
