Salinger: The Classic Critical and Personal Portrait – A Time Capsule of Literary Essays by Acclaimed Writers and Critics

by Henry Anatole Grunwald

Now back in print, Salinger: A Critical and Personal Portrait is a classic collection of critical and personal essays on J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye , by more than 20 of the most acclaimed writers and critics of his era—including John Updike, Alfred Kazin, and Arthur Mizner. Revived for Salinger’s 90th year, Salinger: A Critical and Personal Portrait offers an extraordinary time capsule: a round table discussion between America’s literary elite that will delight Salinger fans, scholars, and critics alike.

Genres: Literary Criticism, Nonfiction, Essays, Literature, Biography

287 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1964

Reviews

[Hannah Garden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Kazin-and-Updike section of this made me so angry I LITRILLY had to put it down and go running.

The rest ranges from blah to yes-yes-yes! But all the former is stuff you've read a thousand times in college, and the latter just stuff you already know, if you aren't some kind of creep. Three stars.

[Judy Richey · Rating 1 out of 5]

A study in professional envy for the most part. Almost all the male authors took shots at the material. Two women rated Salinger's books highly, and one fully understood the religious perspective of his writing. Compassionate love is in all of his work. Salinger,to my mind,is a Buddhist who wrote words pried from the heart and soul.

[Thomas Shaye-Hawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

not so keen on literary criticism, though it did provide very salient insights into J.D. Salinger that I otherwise would have never considered. Also, it did very much to show me why exactly I liked Salinger's stories so much.

[Lilly Drury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel so blessed to have found this book at the second hand store and it was the most academically fulfilling and enjoyable experience to read the critiques and reviews of my favorite author from the time period in which is work was released, and through the eyes of the literary crowd that was active at the time.

[Jamison Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of essays from Salinger's contemporaries. Surprisingly, they were mostly negative, and I rarely agreed with their arguments, but I had a great time arguing in my head as I read along.