New York: Previously unpublished letters by the American novelist JD Salinger were revealed Friday, giving a glimpse into his life as a writer in the years after he became a total recluse.The Morgan Library and Museum in New York confirmed a report in a news daily about the existence of the letters, which are being prepared for an exhibition in the wake of Salinger`s death January 28 at the age of 91.
The letters were written between 1951 and 1993 by Salinger to E. Michael Mitchell, the illustrator who designed the cover for Salinger`s best-selling novel "The Catcher in the Rye."
The letters, reports the Times, open a fascinating window on Salinger during years when he severed most links to the world beyond his New Hampshire house.
Significantly, he specifies in the letters that although his last published work appeared in 1965 he never stopped working.
The Times says Salinger describes as late as in the 1980s a disciplined writer`s life, with started at 6:00 am and allowed no interruption "unless absolutely necessary or convenient."
That will bolster intense speculation that Salinger`s literary estate may include a trove of unpublished works.
The letters were gifted to the Morgan Library as part of a wider collection of 20th century US literature, the Times reported. Museum officials kept the letters under wraps until Salinger`s death.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, February 13, 2010, 16:14
