JFK Library to Display Letter That J.D. Salinger Sent Hemingway

Posted on March 25, 2010

A letter that a young J.D. Salinger sent to Ernest Hemingway in 1946 is going to be displayed for the public for the very first time. The letter will soon go on display at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. The letter is part of the library's Ernest Hemingway collection. The letter will go on display on Sunday when the winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award is announced.

Salinger and Hemingway met during World War II. Hemingway made quite the impression on Salinger because Salinger tells Hemingway that the talks he had with him during the war were the "only hopeful minutes of the whole business."

Salinger also asked Hemingway how is novel is coming. He writes, "How is your novel coming. I hope you're working hard on it. Don't sell it to the movies."

Artdaily.org has a larger copy of the letter here. The JFK Library's website can be found here.