J. D. Salinger_ A Life - Kenneth Slawenski [81]
The archives of Story Press contain a document listing nineteen stories agreed upon by Salinger and Burnett for possible inclusion in the collection.* Although the Story Press list is dated 1946, it appears to have originated late in 1945, while Salinger was still living in Germany, since it announces that “J. D. Salinger has just had two stories accepted, and one is being marketed by his agent.” The two stories can only be “I’m Crazy” and “The Stranger,” both published in Collier’s in December 1945.
Handwritten at the bottom of this document are plans by Burnett to include promotional blurbs by himself, fellow editors Jesse Stuart of Collier’s, William Maxwell of The New Yorker, and Stuart Rose of The Saturday Evening Post, alongside endorsements of Salinger’s talents by the authors William Saroyan and Ernest Hemingway. In addition, mention was to be made of Salinger’s upcoming novel, which, according to Story Press, was one-third done.
In a letter sent to Salinger in Germany, Whit Burnett finally revealed his intention for the Young Folks anthology to fill the gap between Salinger’s short stories and his eventual novel—Burnett’s actual object of desire. He admitted that the aim of the collection was to create greater interest in Salinger among the reading public and to generate anticipation of the Holden Caulfield book. With Burnett’s cards on the table, and the $1,000 advance in hand, Salinger returned to the United States in 1946 assured of the anthology’s publication. According to Burnett, the book was a done deal.
Soon after Salinger had returned home (and probably about the same time that his marriage was disintegrating), Burnett invited him to lunch at the Vanderbilt Hotel on Park Avenue and East 34th Street. The editor had bad news. Lippincott Press, which was to finance Salinger’s collection, had turned the book down, and Story Press alone was unable to finance the project. Despite Burnett’s promises, there would be no Young Folks anthology.
Salinger was furious. He felt used, not only by an editor but also by a friend. He never forgave Whit Burnett for what he perceived to be deception. The long and, at times, taxing relationship between the two men ended that afternoon. Salinger became convinced of the treachery of editors everywhere. After his experiences with The New Yorker over “Slight Rebellion off Madison” and The Saturday Evening Post’s changing his story titles, Burnett’s apparent betrayal only reinforced what Salinger had already suspected. He would remain suspicious of editorial methods and motives for the rest of his career.
The dispute also affected Whit Burnett. As late as 1963, the clash remained fresh in his mind and he still sought to reverse the outcome. Even at that late date, he begged Dorothy Olding to clarify the circumstances of the failed book deal to her client. “Despite all our screaming,” Burnett claimed, “Lippincott had the final veto … and all we could do was take their final judgment.” He went on to explain that Story Press “almost broke with Lippincott at the time because they wouldn’t take this book.”12 Salinger would have none of it. What made him feel especially foolish at the time was the fact that he had turned down another book offer while holding out for Burnett. In September 1945, he had received an alternative proposal from Don Congdon, who had been his editor at Collier’s and had since moved to the publishing house of Simon and Schuster. Congdon approached Salinger, anxious to publish a collection of his stories. Salinger liked Congdon