J. D. Salinger_ A Life - Kenneth Slawenski [135]
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But Salinger did not limit himself to the company of teenagers. Many of Cornish’s adult residents recalled him being friendly and talkative, frequently visiting his neighbors and staging cocktail parties. Entertaining his guests, Salinger was anxious to discuss religion and local events, demonstrate methods of meditation and yoga, and show off the transformation of his new home. He also mimicked the locals and set out to build a life as a simple country gentleman. He cleared some of the woods around his cottage, allowing it to be “sunny as hell.” He planted a vegetable garden and began to grow corn. With these rural pastimes in common with his neighbors, he began to foster a feeling of community with them.
In order to build this new life, Salinger allowed his professional ambition to recede briefly. Occupied with domestic renovations, he canceled a number of business trips to New York City. The most conspicuous cancellation was one with Jamie Hamilton in February. The two men were scheduled to discuss the upcoming British release of Salinger’s short-story collection. At the last minute Salinger claimed he was needed in Cornish instead. The excuse was convenient; he and Hamilton had suffered something of a rift over the collection, and it’s likely that Salinger was happy to avoid the meeting.
The first strain in Salinger’s relationship with Hamilton had occurred in November 1952. Hamilton’s reaction to The Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna was not what Salinger had expected or hoped for. When Hamilton received the massive text, he was aghast. Clearly, there was no revenue possibility in his releasing it in Britain. In fact, he was unable to get through the text.
He seems to have avoided the subject, and Salinger was forced to prod him into addressing the issue. Finally, Hamilton awkwardly admitted his inability to absorb the volume. “I feel terribly guilty about the Ramakrishna book,” he acknowledged. “I received it safely and read much of it with enjoyment and profit, though some I confess defeated me.”3 Conveniently claiming that another publisher was considering an abridged version of The Gospels, Hamilton begged off Salinger’s suggestion that he publish the complete book. Salinger reported to Hamilton that he understood the editor’s reluctance and appeared to overlook the disagreement, but deep inside he was hurt and disappointed that Hamilton had not shared his enthusiasm for such a vital subject.
A greater departure arose over the upcoming release of Salinger’s short-story collection. Ober Associates had negotiated with Little, Brown and Company to have the book published in the early spring. The timing was designed to coincide with the release of The Catcher in the Rye in paperback. After the conflicts over the publication of Catcher, both Little, Brown and Hamish Hamilton were reluctant to approach Salinger with any differences of opinion over the forthcoming collection. For his part, Salinger had become even more stubborn.
An example of Salinger’s entrenchment can be seen with his story “Teddy.” Apparently, Salinger was unwilling to consider the possibility that it might not equal the quality of his finest selections. He presented the inclusion of “Teddy” to Little, Brown and Hamish Hamilton as a fait accompli. The story sailed through the offices of The New Yorker in a similar manner, quickly accepted by both William Maxwell and Gus Lobrano despite its heavy religiosity and shocking ending. At the time Lobrano was still stinging from the appointment of William Shawn, and it is unlikely that either he or Maxwell felt strong enough in their uncertain positions to challenge Salinger, who was now clearly the magazine’s premier contributor.