For Esmé—with Love and Squalor
Short story by J. D. Salinger / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"For Esmé—with Love and Squalor" is a short story by J. D. Salinger. It recounts an American sergeant's meeting with a young girl before being sent into combat in World War II. Originally published in The New Yorker on April 8, 1950,[1] it was anthologized in Salinger's Nine Stories two years later (while the story collection's American title is Nine Stories, it is titled as For Esmé—with Love & Squalor in most countries).
"For Esmé—with Love and Squalor" | |
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Short story by J.D. Salinger | |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Publication | |
Published in | The New Yorker |
Publication type | |
Publication date | April 8, 1950 |
The short story was immediately popular with readers; less than two weeks after its publication, on April 20, Salinger "had already gotten more letters about 'For Esmé' than he had for any story he had published."[2] According to biographer Kenneth Slawenski, the story is "widely considered one of the finest literary pieces to result from the Second World War."[3] Author Paul Alexander calls it a "minor masterpiece".[2]
When Salinger submitted the story to The New Yorker in late 1949, it was at first returned, and he then reedited his manuscript, shortening it by six pages.[4]