J.D. Salinger, the famously reclusive author of "The Catcher in the Rye", was not such a hermit after all, according to newly published letters on Thursday that show he travelled -- and enjoyed Burger King.
Salinger died last year aged 91, leaving a reputation as an angry recluse who struggled to come to terms with the success of his 1951 novel, a tale of teenage rebellion which made him a cultural icon, and rich.
But a collection of 50 typed letters and four handwritten postcards sent over two decades to a British friend, Donald Hartog, show a different side -- his family life, interests and support for British tennis player Tim Henman.
"Although the letters are about quite mundane subjects, they are very moving, especially the way Salinger refers to my father and their old friendship," said Hartog's daughter Frances, who has given the letters to the University of East Anglia (UEA) in eastern England.
"There is tremendous warmth and affection towards my father and this is so different to the man Salinger is often portrayed as."
"He wanted to be published, but what he appears not to have liked was that it wasn't just about what you published, it was about you."
Salinger died at his home in New Hampshire on January 27, 2010.
Full story at http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/letters-show-human-side-jd-salinger/
