Jerome David Salinger, born in Manhattan , newyork on a new year day of1919, was very much interested in acting dramas, but his father’s opposition to become an actor led him to start writing short stories, undercover, during nights using a flashlight. Later in 1939 he even attended a writing class .During his college days at newyork university he used to write long daily letters to his first love- Oona O’neill, daughter of famous writer & Nobel prize winner Eugine O'neill, but she left salinger and married Charlie chaplin who was very much older to her, causing salinger to discontinue his studies and lead a strange life what we see till his end. His participation in 2nd world war made himself being admitted in a mental asylum after which he married a doctor, Silvia Welter who too left him in a short period. He started his writing career with short stories, that too very few, The first novel that he wrote THE CATCHER IN THE RYE,(known to be a manifesto for rebellious youth, chapman the assassin of famous musician john lenon had this book in his pocket while doing the crime, john hink who made an attempt to kill president regan too had a copy of this book in his room)This book which is still selling 2.5 lakh copies a year, was an instant success during the year 1951,the surprise is after the huge success of the book , he chose to stay away from limelight but stayed in limelight for the same reason. Hiding from the world he led a life of solitude during which he married 19 year old Claire Douglas in 1955 who lived with him till 1967,in 1972 Joyce Edinad an 18 year old who was already a celebrity after publishing "An eighteen year old looks back on life", started living with 53 yr old salinjer and left him after 10 months, both later claimed that salinjer led a saintly life and was in a private world of yoga & meditation inspired from Zen Buddhism & Hinduism, Joyce even went further declaring she was still a virgin when she left him and the relation broke when she requested for a child, later in a book “At home in the world”- her memories she says that Salinger wrote daily but they were never shown to anyone but kept safe within his room. It was in 1980 he married Colleen O’Neill after which he was literally living within the cocoon of solitude till he left us at the age of 91 on January 27th 2010.
In a rare interview of 1974 Salinger says: There is a marvelous peace in not publishing….I like to write…I love to write….but I write just for myself and my own pleasure…
Why he decided to love solitude, and why he dint want others to read his writings, or rather what was he writing all these years, all is still a mystery and something the world is anxiously waiting to know.
After knowing about salinger, my mind too started wandering, to reason out his chosen solitude. My imagination of a reason that also had a scope of an universal emotion relating to all mankind, was his first love, and his daily letters for Oona O’neill, those letters were actually the spark that would have made him realize he had the ability to write beautifully….maybe………… so here is my humble attempt.
You all are free to let me know, if I have done anything wrong by putting such a version to a well known writer’s life, it’s just my thoughts and it can always be excused right?
Forlorn love
Voyage to death
Nearing my breath
Yet my love’s depth
For you sails all girth.
Past, disappearing phase
Not another face in race,
Glimpse of your face
Each second I face.
The face that whispers
My heart’s daily verses,
Oh! My queen of universe,
Why you shed those curses.
My heart’s birth to words
To see your smiling world,
Raising you to dream world,
Nesting us, the two birds.
Within the love woven nest,
Feeling your breath on my chest,
I see your smile at its best,
Dreaming, a life full of zest.
A dream that went falling,
Hearing your wings fluttering,
Away and far you were flying,
Leaving a lonely soul waiting.
Waiting Endless, drowning dreams,
Landing deep, to words that stream,
Streaming words, once your cream,
The cream you treasured, now my dream
The dream of words that fly,
Above them, standing high
I carve to prove, I’m no dry,
Thus – “The catcher in the rye”.
As people held me high,
I searched for your eye,
Never seeing your sigh,
I cuddled into my rye.
With the gift you discovered
Weaving a cocoon of words
Within them I stay buried
Words- my only love world.
Each & every comment I receive is a true inspiration and an award for someone like me who started writing just because I started a blog, here I thank rohini & jingle for their kind appreciation shown towards me as awards. When remembering people who inspired in a special way, I cannot forget my consistent inspiration Jyotsna P Kadayaprath, Mr. A from - Simply speaking by "A"simple blogger- who shares what he cherishes, Sandhya from purpleheart , and last but not the least the blogger of the blog mullapoov whose comment was the first I ever received. Thank you all….. all those who have spared time to read what I write…. I value you all a lot
