No todos, es cierto, pero cuánto me han gustado algunos, casi todos, de estos nueve cuentos: Un día perfecto para el pez banana, El tío Wiggly en Conecticut, Justo antes de la guerra con los esquimales, El hombre que ríe, Para Esmé, con amor y sordidez, Linda boquita y verdes mis ojos.

Me gustan las ambigüedades que se encuentran en cada relato, lo no dicho, lo tan solo insinuado; me gustan sus diálogos y como retratan a los personajes; me gusta, me parece fascinante, como con tan poco nos hace sentir tanto sobre los hombres y mujeres que viven en sus cuentos, sus angustias, sus penas, sus carencias, su soledad, el horror de la guerra; me gusta la inteligencia de contar algo relatando otra cosa; me gusta el tratamiento de los niños y sus relaciones con los adultos; me gusta Salinger y prometo desde ya una relectura de su, para mí muy lejano, “El guardián entre el centeno” que, tras la lectura de estos cuentos, seguramente no supe valorar como se merece.

I took 4 days to read this thin book, not because I didn't get enough time, but because all the nine stories had such an engrossing impact on me. Every time I finished reading a story, I'd HAVE to set the book aside and think about what just happened there. Every time it was like a big blow inside my head that'd block all other thoughts for some time, all but one.
I usually don't prefer short stories because I enjoy my reading mostly when I get a feeling that I know each and every character in and out, which obviously takes time. But Mr. Salinger! Such a genius he is, it's as if I remember all the characters from each story and will always do. Can't wait to read his other books.

Nove Histórias...
Nove obras de arte...
Nem sempre de fácil entendimento, obrigando a pensar e a reler e a pensar...

Αν θελήσεις ποτέ να γράψεις διηγήματα, να ξέρεις οτι δε θα το κάνεις ποτέ τοσο καλά οσο ο Σάλιντζερ.

Antes que novelista, Salinger fue un cuentista y de todos aquellos que escribió solamente permitió que nueve de ellos pudieran ser publicados mediante esta breve antología condenando a gran parte de su obra a quedar en el olvido. De estas nueve historias en tres de ellas podemos conocemos más sobre los hermanos Glass.

Como en la mayoría de su obra, su encanto se centra en el estilo de Salinger en captar la esencia del lenguaje hablado a través de sus diálogos y monólogos versátiles y dinámicos. También la niñez y adolescencia siguen siendo el vehículo para adentrarnos en su filosofía sobre el descontento y la búsqueda espiritual y simbolizando lo aún no corrompido, una catársis (supongo yo) necesaria debido a lo vivido al contexto postguerra vivido por Salinger.

Hay algunas historias que pudiéramos no haber leído (aunque al hacerlo nos hicieron pasar un buen momento) y todo seguiría igual y luego están otros, donde lo bello y lo trágico se quedarán un tiempo con nosotros. Personalmente, mis favoritos han sido “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, “The Laughing Man”, “Down at the Dingy” y “Teddy”.

نمدونم ترجمه یه نارسایی‌هایی داشت واقعاً یا نه، ولی ویرایشش یه‌‌کم اعصابمو خرد می‌کرد. کتابی که اینقد تجدید چاپ شده اونم. سلینجر اونم. داستان‌کوتاهاش اونم. سلینجر برا من یه جورایی مث دوا شده. هرازگاهی باید یه چیزی ازش بخونم که دوباره ریکاوری بشم. چندتا از داستان‌های این مجموعه رو قبلاً هم خونده بودم(مثل یک روز خوش برای موز ماهی و دهانم فلان و چشمانم چنان :همر: خدایی چه مناسبتی داشت این اسم من نفهمیدم!) و کلاً دوست داشتم. بازم اینو خواهم خوند. ولی نه اینطور پشت سر هم. هر داستانو دیگه می‌کشه می‌رم می‌خونم. مثلاً تدی رو می‌دونم دیری نمی‌گذره که می‌رم باز می‌خونم. عجب فضایی داشت.

Simple stories headed nowhere, absolutely no development to speak of. The only one I truly liked was A Perfect Day for Bananafish.

La prima lettura dell'anno ha portato tra le mie mani un vero tesoro.
Questi nove racconti sono uno più bello dell'altro e proprio il genere di cui non ci si stanca mai. Si può benissimo rileggerli dall'inizio più volte, senza annoiarsi. Si tratta di uno di quei libri per cui si dice che "è invecchiato bene."
I personaggi di Salinger hanno qualcosa di unico; si riconoscono subito e sfavillano come se stessero prendendo vita. In Nove racconti ci sono tanti uomini che hanno partecipato alla guerra e che ne sono usciti distrutti, c'è tanta delicatezza e anche tanto amore.
Se in "Un giorno ideale per i pescibanana" l'epilogo è fortemente drammatico, piuttosto visivo, "Per Esmé: con amore e squallore" tocca le corde più intime senza grosse esplosioni e ci si sente come a guardare un sassolino che affonda dentro l'acqua. Si rimane ad osservare l'acqua che aspetta a ritornare calma.

Coincidentally, I found myself reading Mr. Salinger's short-story collection right after I finished Richard Yates' "Young Hearts Crying", a novel set amidst postwar blues, trauma, and 1940s and 50s struggle to conform. Of course, the only exposure I had with Mr. Salinger's work is that ever popular novel about the misadventures of a misfit who goes by the name of Holden Caulfield.

I found the stories in this collection biting and a bit disturbing; however, certain images and symbols tended to be a bit heavy-handed and obvious. I particularly liked the strange

"De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period" in which an artist finds himself working in a faux art studio, run by a wayward Japanese couple and who finds himself drawn to the work of a renegade nun named Sister Irma.

“A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" is that minor masterpiece of a man suffering of PSTD and trying to enjoy a holiday in South Florida; and "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" is a cruel exercise in hypocrisy and coping with betrayals and the trappings of suburbia (reminded me very much of Richard Yates' stories and novels).

فکر میکنم اگر قرار باشد 5 مجموعه داستان را به عنوان بهترین مجموعه داستان های قرن بیستم انتخاب کنیم یکیش حتما این کتاب است.
هر نویسندهء جوانی که زیرپوستی نوشتن را از کارور آموخت باید این مجموعه را بخواند تا سرکشی را از سلینجر یاد بگیرد.

چقدر داستان ها روون و دوست داشتنی بودن

J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories always affects me. Its stories are fleeting and unresolved. Often painfully abrupt. And each story impacts me differently every time I return to this collection. As in his other works, Salinger’s recurrent themes of innocence, alienation, and inner turmoil are here.

In each of these short and impactful stories, J.D. Salinger connects with the fragility of human connection, the weight of trauma, and quiet sadness. His characters are damaged, disillusioned, or desperately seeking meaning. Vulnerable in quiet despair. Salinger writes almost indifferently, but the stories are tender and fully expose the raw ache of being human.

Each story in this collection presents a different kind of pain.

Here are Salinger’s nine stories:

1/ A Perfect Day for Bananafish – Seymour Glass, a war veteran struggling with post-war psychological wounds, shares a moment with a young girl on the beach whilst his own despair consumes him.

2/ Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut – A conversation between two old friends exposes the quiet dissatisfaction and missed opportunities of suburban life.

3/ Just Before the War with the Eskimos – A teenage girl, while dealing with an awkward situation, has a meaningful interaction with a stranger.

4/ The Laughing Man – Young boys who idolize their camp counselor and his fantastic stories become unsettled as the counselor’s own heartbreak begin to taint the tales.

5/ Down at the Dinghy – A mother tries to gently comfort her young son after he overhears a negative conversation about his father.

6/ For Esmé—with Love and Squalor – A soldier, deeply affected by the war, finds hope from a brief encounter he had with a young girl named Esmé.

7/ Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes – A phone call late in the night between two men hints at insecurity, betrayal, and the failure of relationships.

8/ De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period – A young man teaching art envisions a new purpose in his life, but only faces his own loneliness and delusion.

9/ Teddy – A young boy speaks with incredible wisdom about life, death, and the world with calmness.

These stories cut deep. They ache. And they move you.

This collection is timeless. A 5/5.