Hapworth 16, 1924
Encyclopedia
"Hapworth 16, 1924" is the "youngest" of J. D. Salinger
's Glass family
stories, in the sense that the narrated events happen chronologically before those in the rest of the great "Glass series". It appeared in the June 19, 1965 edition of The New Yorker
, and has never been reprinted. The story was the last of Salinger's works to be published in his lifetime.
It is in the form of a letter
from camp written by a seven-year-old Seymour Glass (the main character of "A Perfect Day for Bananafish
"). In the course of requesting a veritable library of reading matter from home, Seymour predicts his brother's success as a writer as well as his own death and condemns the ironic "twist" endings in the stories of Anatole France
, twist endings being an early Salinger device.
In 1996, Orchises Press, a small publishing house in Virginia, started the process to publish "Hapworth" in book form. In an article in The Washington Post
, published after Salinger's death, and in a story for New York
, Orchises Press owner Roger Lathbury described his efforts to publish the story. According to Lathbury, Salinger was deeply concerned with the proposed book's appearance, even visiting Washington to examine the cloth for the binding. Salinger also sent Lathbury numerous "infectious and delightful and loving" letters.
Lathbury, following publishing norms, applied for Library of Congress
Cataloging in Publication
data, unaware of how publicly available the information would be. A writer in Seattle, researching an article on Jeff Bezos, the founder of the then-fledgling Amazon.com, came across the "Hapworth" publication date, told his sister, a journalist for the Washington Business Journal, who wrote an article about the upcoming book. This led to substantial coverage in the press. Shortly before the books were to be shipped, Salinger changed his mind, and in accordance with his wishes, Orchises withdrew the work. Although new publication dates were repeatedly announced, the book never appeared. Lathbury said, "I never reached back out. I thought about writing some letters, but it wouldn't have done any good."
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
's Glass family
Glass family
The Glass family is a group of fictional characters that have been featured in a number of J. D. Salinger's short stories. All but one of the Glass family stories were first published in The New Yorker; several of them have been collected and published in the compilations Nine Stories, Raise High...
stories, in the sense that the narrated events happen chronologically before those in the rest of the great "Glass series". It appeared in the June 19, 1965 edition of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, and has never been reprinted. The story was the last of Salinger's works to be published in his lifetime.
It is in the form of a letter
Epistolary novel
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used. Recently, electronic "documents" such as recordings and radio, blogs, and e-mails have also come into use...
from camp written by a seven-year-old Seymour Glass (the main character of "A Perfect Day for Bananafish
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in the January 31, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. It was anthologized in 1949's 55 Short Stories from the New Yorker as well as in Salinger's 1953 collection, Nine Stories...
"). In the course of requesting a veritable library of reading matter from home, Seymour predicts his brother's success as a writer as well as his own death and condemns the ironic "twist" endings in the stories of Anatole France
Anatole France
Anatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
, twist endings being an early Salinger device.
Publishing history
After the story's appearance in The New Yorker, Salinger—who had already withdrawn to his house in New Hampshire—stopped publishing altogether. Since he never put the story between hard covers, readers had to seek out a copy of that issue or find it on microfilm. However, since the release of The Complete New Yorker on DVD in 2005, the story is once again widely available.In 1996, Orchises Press, a small publishing house in Virginia, started the process to publish "Hapworth" in book form. In an article in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, published after Salinger's death, and in a story for New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
, Orchises Press owner Roger Lathbury described his efforts to publish the story. According to Lathbury, Salinger was deeply concerned with the proposed book's appearance, even visiting Washington to examine the cloth for the binding. Salinger also sent Lathbury numerous "infectious and delightful and loving" letters.
Lathbury, following publishing norms, applied for Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
Cataloging in Publication
Cataloging in Publication
In publishing and library science, Cataloging in Publication is basic cataloging data for a work, prepared in advance of publication by the national library of the country where the work is principally published or by the library of a publishing organisation such as a government department...
data, unaware of how publicly available the information would be. A writer in Seattle, researching an article on Jeff Bezos, the founder of the then-fledgling Amazon.com, came across the "Hapworth" publication date, told his sister, a journalist for the Washington Business Journal, who wrote an article about the upcoming book. This led to substantial coverage in the press. Shortly before the books were to be shipped, Salinger changed his mind, and in accordance with his wishes, Orchises withdrew the work. Although new publication dates were repeatedly announced, the book never appeared. Lathbury said, "I never reached back out. I thought about writing some letters, but it wouldn't have done any good."
External links
- Abstract at The New Yorker site
- Still Paging Mr. Salinger at The New York Times