Sarah Sheard's Blog
May 2, 2013
J.D. Salinger correspondence
The dust has settled, following the flurry of media boots beating their way to my ancient auntie's Toronto nursing home to glean more about her correspondence with J.D. Salinger. Marjorie put her game face on and turned this way and that for the photographers.
They wanted her to tell them about Salinger, of course, not so much about herself. The story leapfrogged over Marjorie and her own writing. Off all her letters — the ones she wrote to Salinger — only one has survived.
Perhaps from the excitement and unaccustomed attention, Marjorie fell ill with fatigue and a cough and went into retreat this week. Understandable. I worried that it might also have been a realization that The Fuss was over someone else, not her.
It did get me thinking about the history of women who write – and particularly the history of Sheard women who wrote. Marjorie's paternal grandmother was Virna Sheard whose poems for children appeared in my public school reader.
I grew up thinking that writing was something we Sheard women did naturally. When I began to to write as a teen myself, my aunt suggested I start with personal essays. How about 'Life with Father' she prompted. Patriarchal times, although it was by then the late '60s.
For 30 years, Marjorie wrote advertising copy for a living. Fiction was something she did on the side. She never succeeded in getting her novels published and I do wonder how much encouragement she received along the way.
I recall the encouragement she gave me, one woman to another, to take my writing seriously. For that, I'll always be grateful.
They wanted her to tell them about Salinger, of course, not so much about herself. The story leapfrogged over Marjorie and her own writing. Off all her letters — the ones she wrote to Salinger — only one has survived.
Perhaps from the excitement and unaccustomed attention, Marjorie fell ill with fatigue and a cough and went into retreat this week. Understandable. I worried that it might also have been a realization that The Fuss was over someone else, not her.
It did get me thinking about the history of women who write – and particularly the history of Sheard women who wrote. Marjorie's paternal grandmother was Virna Sheard whose poems for children appeared in my public school reader.
I grew up thinking that writing was something we Sheard women did naturally. When I began to to write as a teen myself, my aunt suggested I start with personal essays. How about 'Life with Father' she prompted. Patriarchal times, although it was by then the late '60s.
For 30 years, Marjorie wrote advertising copy for a living. Fiction was something she did on the side. She never succeeded in getting her novels published and I do wonder how much encouragement she received along the way.
I recall the encouragement she gave me, one woman to another, to take my writing seriously. For that, I'll always be grateful.
April 27, 2013
Salinger Letters
It's been a hectic week. On Tuesday, The New York Times wrote about the 9 letters written by the late novelist J.D. Salinger to my aunt Marjorie Sheard Carter. These 9 letters were recently acquired by the Morgan Library and Museum, NYC.
My aunt Marjorie struck up a 3-year correspondence with J.D. Salinger back in 1941-1943.
The N.Y. Times did a piece about these letters and the story has gone global.
My lovely, elderly aunt is now 94, still truckin' after a fashion, in her nursing home. The press descended upon her for two days (with surprising gentleness and deference) to poke and prod her memory for additional insights, anecdotes, tidbits into this paper-only relationship that came and went over 70 years ago.
I've sat with Marjorie for these media encounters, helped her dress for the part and shepherded reporters and photographers out of her room before they wore out their welcome. Marjorie has glowed with a fresh beauty and basked in the unaccustomed attention of strangers. I am impressed by her stamina and her willingness to answer a steady barrage of questions about a connection that ended with V-Day. I mean, we're talking quite some time ago.
This news story has already been translated into numerous foreign languages and web appearances number well over 100 at this point.
Perhaps we should exchange more letters on paper with one another. Clearly certain letters can only be news that stay news if they are written and saved in a drawer for treasure-hunters of the future.
My aunt Marjorie struck up a 3-year correspondence with J.D. Salinger back in 1941-1943.
The N.Y. Times did a piece about these letters and the story has gone global.
My lovely, elderly aunt is now 94, still truckin' after a fashion, in her nursing home. The press descended upon her for two days (with surprising gentleness and deference) to poke and prod her memory for additional insights, anecdotes, tidbits into this paper-only relationship that came and went over 70 years ago.
I've sat with Marjorie for these media encounters, helped her dress for the part and shepherded reporters and photographers out of her room before they wore out their welcome. Marjorie has glowed with a fresh beauty and basked in the unaccustomed attention of strangers. I am impressed by her stamina and her willingness to answer a steady barrage of questions about a connection that ended with V-Day. I mean, we're talking quite some time ago.
This news story has already been translated into numerous foreign languages and web appearances number well over 100 at this point.
Perhaps we should exchange more letters on paper with one another. Clearly certain letters can only be news that stay news if they are written and saved in a drawer for treasure-hunters of the future.
