A very respectful biography that avoids getting bogged down in the rumours and seamier sides of his biography associated with accusations made by one of of his former women. Slawenski covers the known, verifiable biographical points of Salinger's life in so far as they can be determined in a man who was so obsessed with personal privacy. The biography actually spends a lot of time examining his body of work. Slawenski discusses many short stories that seem to have disappeared, and sketches what he knows about the contents of some of them. He also looks in detail at all his published work and traces the development of Salinger's ideas in each one. What becomes clear is that Salinger's work was essentially a spiritual journey which seems to have, in large part, come out of his horrific experiences during WW II, experiences that seem to have destroyed his faith in people and society, and left him damaged spiritually in some way. His work can be seen as some attempt at healing.
I wonder at the same time if he ever really got out of his ego box. His work shows a deep love for children and an understanding of their openness or innocence, or their clarity of vision of the world around them in some basic way. Yet, it becomes clear he was not such a great father... As you read about his later life, it almost seems as if he retreated into the world of the Glass family that he created, as an idealized substitute for the reality of the family and people around him.
Worth reading if you like Salinger's body of work.
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