On January 25, 2011, Random House will publish Kenneth Slawenski’s biography of the late J. D. Salinger. Salinger: A Life was published in the U.K. earlier this year, but the U.S. cover is pictured (click to enlarge).
Slawenski founded the Dead Caulfields website in 2004, a major resource for Salinger fans. Earlier this week, the site posted a BBC video of the reclusive author–we’ve embedded the YouTube video below.
Here’s more about the biography: “[It] provides a tremendous amount of new information, shedding light for the first time on many unknown events in Salinger’s life: his wartime romance; the inspiration behind The Catcher in the Rye; the impact of his experience fighting in the D-Day landings; the true story behind Franny and Zooey; full details on his romance with Oona O’Neill (later Mrs. Charlie Chaplin); his office intrigues with famous New Yorker editors and writers; his friendship with Ernest Hemingway; surprising evidence that he intended to continue publishing after his last story appeared in l965, and much more.”
Earlier this year, we wrote about an 800-page Salinger bio also in the works. Here is the video clip of the author…