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Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

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January 28, 2010 By Meg Waite Clayton

Calling loudly, "J.D. Salinger"

In 1941, J.D. Salinger had seven stories rejected by The New Yorker. Apparently undaunted, he submitted an eighth the same year, “Slight Rebellion off Madison,” which was accepted. BUT, it was about a disaffected teenager (can you guess his name?) nervous about the war, and in the wake of Pearl Harbor was deemed unpublishable – so did not see print for another five years.
In 1946, Whit Burnett negotiated a $1,000 advance to publish a collection of Salinger’s stories with Story Press’s Lippincott Imprint. But Lippincott rejected the book.
Salinger had been writing since he was in school in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1951 that his first book was published. And that, of course, was The Catcher in the Rye.
When asked who influenced his writing, Salinger said, “A writer, when he’s asked to discuss his craft, ought to get up and call out in a loud voice just the names of the writers he loves.” He named a list of writers he loved, all deceased. Then went on to say, “I won’t name any living writers. I don’t think it’s right.”
I’m sad to say that all you writers out there, published or not, can call out in your loudest voice today the name J.D. Salinger.

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Filed Under: Meg's Posts, Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun Tagged With: catcher in the rye, rejection, salinger

Meg Waite Clayton


Meg Waite Clayton is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of eight novels, including the Good Morning America Buzz pick and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS, the National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON, the Langum-Prize honored THE RACE FOR PARIS, and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time. Her novels have been published in 23 languages. She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com

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