Joyce Maynard
Encyclopedia
Daphne Joyce Maynard is an American
author
known for writing with candor about her life, as well as for her works of fiction and hundreds of essays and newspaper columns, often about parenting and family. The 1998 publication of her memoir, At Home in the World, made her the object of intense criticism among some members of the literary world for having revealed the story of the relationship she had with author J. D. Salinger
when he was 53 and she was 18.
, New Hampshire
, daughter of the Canadian painter Max Maynard and writer Fredelle Maynard. She attended the Oyster River School District and Phillips Exeter Academy
. She won early recognition for her writing from The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, winning student writing awards in 1966-8, 1970, and 1971. While in her teens, she wrote regularly for Seventeen
magazine. She entered Yale University
in 1971 and sent a collection of her writings to the editors of The New York Times Magazine
. They asked her to write an article for them, which was published as "An Eighteen Year Old Looks Back On Life" in the magazine's April 23, 1972 issue. The article prompted a letter from J. D. Salinger, then 53 years old, who complimented her writing and warned her of the dangers of publicity.
, New Hampshire
. Maynard spent ten months living in Salinger's Cornish home, during which time she completed work on her first book, Looking Back, a memoir that was published in 1973, in which she adhered to Salinger's request that she not mention his role in her life. Her relationship with Salinger ended abruptly just prior to the book's publication. According to Maynard's memoir, he cut off the relationship suddenly while on a family vacation with her and with his two children; she was devastated and begged him to take her back.
Maynard never returned to college. In 1973, she used the proceeds from her first book to purchase a house on a large piece of land in Hillsborough, New Hampshire Hillsborough
, New Hampshire
, where she lived alone for over two years. From 1973 until 1975, she contributed commentaries to a series called “Spectrum”, broadcast on CBS radio and television, frequently debating the conservative voices of Phyllis Schlafly and James J. Kilpatrick.
In 1975, Maynard joined the staff of the New York Times, where she worked as a general assignment reporter also contributing feature stories. She left the New York Times in 1977 when she married and returned to New Hampshire, where she had three children, Audrey, Charlie and Wilson.
From 1984 to 1990, Maynard wrote the weekly syndicated column, “Domestic Affairs”, in which she wrote candidly about marriage, parenthood and family life. She also served as a book reviewer and a columnist for Mademoiselle and Harrowsmith magazines . She published her first novel, Baby Love, and two children’s books illustrated by her husband Steve Bethel. In 1986 she was a leader in the opposition to the construction of the nation’s first high-level nuclear waste dump in her home state of New Hampshire, a story she told in a cover story in the New York Times in April 1986.
When Maynard’s own marriage ended in 1989—an event she explored in her column—many newspapers dropped the “Domestic Affairs” column, though it was reinstated in a number of markets in response to reader protest. After her divorce, Maynard and her children moved to the city of Keene, New Hampshire.
murder case. It was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name
, starring Nicole Kidman
, Matt Dillon
and Joaquin Phoenix
and directed by Gus Van Sant
. In the late 1990s, Maynard became one of the first authors to communicate on a daily basis with her readership by making use of the Internet and an online discussion forum, The Domestic Affairs Message Board (DAMB).
For many years, Maynard chose not to discuss her affair with Salinger in any of her writings, but she broke her silence in At Home In the World, a 1999 memoir. The same year, Maynard put up for auction
the letters Salinger had written to her. In the ensuing controversy over her decision, Maynard claimed that she was forced to auction the letters for financial reasons, including her children's college educations; she would have preferred to donate them to Beinecke Library. Software developer Peter Norton
bought the letters for $156,500 and announced his intention to return them to Salinger.
Maynard has subsequently published in several genres. Both The Usual Rules (2003) and "The Cloud Chamber" (2005) are Young Adult titles. Internal Combustion (2006), was her first in the true crime
genre. Although nonfiction it had thematic similarities to the fictionalized crime in "To Die For", dealing with the case of Michigan resident Nancy Seaman, convicted of killing her husband in 2004. "Labor Day", an adult literary novel, was published in 2009, and is presently being adapted for a film to be directed by Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman. Maynard's most recent novel is The Good Daughters, published in 2010.
Maynard and her sister Rona (also a writer and the retired editor of Chatelaine
) collaborated in 2007 to jointly examine their sisterhood. Rona Maynard's memoir My Mother's Daughter was published in the fall of 2007.
, California
since 1996. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine
and now runs writing workshops at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
. She frequently performs as an onstage storyteller with The Moth in New York City.
In January 2010, Maynard came into the spotlight when JD Salinger died of natural causes at age 91. She chose not to comment to the press on the occasion of Salinger’s death. In the years since the original publication of Maynard’s memoir in which she first spoke of her relationship with the author, numerous other women have come forward detailing correspondences they also had with Salinger when they were young, causing a reassessment of previous charges that Maynard had unfairly exploited the writer’s privacy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
known for writing with candor about her life, as well as for her works of fiction and hundreds of essays and newspaper columns, often about parenting and family. The 1998 publication of her memoir, At Home in the World, made her the object of intense criticism among some members of the literary world for having revealed the story of the relationship she had with author J. D. Salinger
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....
when he was 53 and she was 18.
Biography
Maynard grew up in DurhamDurham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, daughter of the Canadian painter Max Maynard and writer Fredelle Maynard. She attended the Oyster River School District and Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
. She won early recognition for her writing from The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, winning student writing awards in 1966-8, 1970, and 1971. While in her teens, she wrote regularly for Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
magazine. She entered Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1971 and sent a collection of her writings to the editors of The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
. They asked her to write an article for them, which was published as "An Eighteen Year Old Looks Back On Life" in the magazine's April 23, 1972 issue. The article prompted a letter from J. D. Salinger, then 53 years old, who complimented her writing and warned her of the dangers of publicity.
Relationship with Salinger
They exchanged 25 letters, and Maynard dropped out of Yale the summer after her freshman year to live with Salinger in CornishCornish, New Hampshire
Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,640 at the 2010 census. Cornish has three covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair.-History:...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Maynard spent ten months living in Salinger's Cornish home, during which time she completed work on her first book, Looking Back, a memoir that was published in 1973, in which she adhered to Salinger's request that she not mention his role in her life. Her relationship with Salinger ended abruptly just prior to the book's publication. According to Maynard's memoir, he cut off the relationship suddenly while on a family vacation with her and with his two children; she was devastated and begged him to take her back.
Maynard never returned to college. In 1973, she used the proceeds from her first book to purchase a house on a large piece of land in Hillsborough, New Hampshire Hillsborough
Hillsborough, New Hampshire
Hillsborough, frequently spelled Hillsboro, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,011 at the 2010 census...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, where she lived alone for over two years. From 1973 until 1975, she contributed commentaries to a series called “Spectrum”, broadcast on CBS radio and television, frequently debating the conservative voices of Phyllis Schlafly and James J. Kilpatrick.
In 1975, Maynard joined the staff of the New York Times, where she worked as a general assignment reporter also contributing feature stories. She left the New York Times in 1977 when she married and returned to New Hampshire, where she had three children, Audrey, Charlie and Wilson.
From 1984 to 1990, Maynard wrote the weekly syndicated column, “Domestic Affairs”, in which she wrote candidly about marriage, parenthood and family life. She also served as a book reviewer and a columnist for Mademoiselle and Harrowsmith magazines . She published her first novel, Baby Love, and two children’s books illustrated by her husband Steve Bethel. In 1986 she was a leader in the opposition to the construction of the nation’s first high-level nuclear waste dump in her home state of New Hampshire, a story she told in a cover story in the New York Times in April 1986.
When Maynard’s own marriage ended in 1989—an event she explored in her column—many newspapers dropped the “Domestic Affairs” column, though it was reinstated in a number of markets in response to reader protest. After her divorce, Maynard and her children moved to the city of Keene, New Hampshire.
Mature works
Maynard gained widespread commercial acceptance in 1992 with the publication of her novel To Die For which drew several elements from the real-life Pamela SmartPamela Smart
Pamela Ann Smart is serving a life sentence for accomplice to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and witness tampering in New Hampshire...
murder case. It was adapted into a 1995 film of the same name
To Die For
To Die For is a 1995 dark comedy film, made in a mockumentary format, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Buck Henry, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, which in turn was based on the Pamela Smart story. It stars Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, and Joaquin Phoenix...
, starring Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
, Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
and Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
and directed by Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
. In the late 1990s, Maynard became one of the first authors to communicate on a daily basis with her readership by making use of the Internet and an online discussion forum, The Domestic Affairs Message Board (DAMB).
For many years, Maynard chose not to discuss her affair with Salinger in any of her writings, but she broke her silence in At Home In the World, a 1999 memoir. The same year, Maynard put up for auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
the letters Salinger had written to her. In the ensuing controversy over her decision, Maynard claimed that she was forced to auction the letters for financial reasons, including her children's college educations; she would have preferred to donate them to Beinecke Library. Software developer Peter Norton
Peter Norton
Peter Norton is an American programmer, software publisher, author, and philanthropist. He is best known for the computer programs and books that bear his name. Norton sold his PC-Software business to Symantec Corporation in 1990....
bought the letters for $156,500 and announced his intention to return them to Salinger.
Maynard has subsequently published in several genres. Both The Usual Rules (2003) and "The Cloud Chamber" (2005) are Young Adult titles. Internal Combustion (2006), was her first in the true crime
True crime
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
genre. Although nonfiction it had thematic similarities to the fictionalized crime in "To Die For", dealing with the case of Michigan resident Nancy Seaman, convicted of killing her husband in 2004. "Labor Day", an adult literary novel, was published in 2009, and is presently being adapted for a film to be directed by Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman. Maynard's most recent novel is The Good Daughters, published in 2010.
Maynard and her sister Rona (also a writer and the retired editor of Chatelaine
Chatelaine (magazine)
Chatelaine is an English-language Canadian magazine of women's lifestyles. Both Chatelaine and its French-language version, Châtelaine, are published monthly by Rogers Media, Inc., a division of Rogers Communications, Inc...
) collaborated in 2007 to jointly examine their sisterhood. Rona Maynard's memoir My Mother's Daughter was published in the fall of 2007.
Recent years
Joyce Maynard has lived in Mill ValleyMill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
since 1996. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
and now runs writing workshops at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. She frequently performs as an onstage storyteller with The Moth in New York City.
In January 2010, Maynard came into the spotlight when JD Salinger died of natural causes at age 91. She chose not to comment to the press on the occasion of Salinger’s death. In the years since the original publication of Maynard’s memoir in which she first spoke of her relationship with the author, numerous other women have come forward detailing correspondences they also had with Salinger when they were young, causing a reassessment of previous charges that Maynard had unfairly exploited the writer’s privacy.
Fiction
- Baby Love (1981)
- To Die ForTo Die For (novel)To Die For is an American novel by Linda Howard. It was published in 2004 by Random House Publishing. It made the New York York Times Best Seller list. It is the first book in the Blair Mallory Series, followed by Drop Dead Gorgeous.-Plot summary:...
(1992) (ISBN 978-0-595-26939-6) - Where Love Goes (1995)
- The Usual Rules (2003)
- The Cloud Chamber (2005)
- Labor DayLabor Day (novel)Labor Day is a coming-of-age novel published in 2009 by American author Joyce Maynard.-Plot summary:Henry, a man in his early 30s, recounts his thirteenth year. As Labor Day weekend approaches, 13-year-old Henry sees no reason why this weekend should be any different...
(2009) - The Good Daughters (2010)
Nonfiction
- Looking Back (1973)
- Domestic Affairs (1987)
- At Home In The World (1998)
- Internal Combustion (2006)
- Bad Girls: 26 Writers Misbehave essay, "A Good Girl Goes Bad" (2007) Mr Wrong, edited by Harriet Brown, essay "Your Friend Always"
- The Face in the Mirror: Writers Reflect on Their Dreams of Youth and the Reality of Age essay, "Someone Like Me, but Younger" (2009)
External links
- Joyce Maynard on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Author-itative Site by Austin Bunn - a 1998 Village Voice article about Joyce's online community (scroll to second segment of column).
- Why Does the American Press Hate Joyce Maynard? by Jules SiegelJules SiegelJules Siegel is a writer and graphic designer whose work has appeared over the years in Playboy, Best American Short Stories, Library of America's Writing Los Angeles, and many other publications...
- If You Really Want to Hear About It Review by Jules SiegelJules SiegelJules Siegel is a writer and graphic designer whose work has appeared over the years in Playboy, Best American Short Stories, Library of America's Writing Los Angeles, and many other publications...
originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle.