Despite J. D. Salinger’s many silences—from the publication of The Catcher in the Rye to his absence from the public eye after 1965 to his death in 2010—the unforgettable characters of his novel and short stories continue to speak to generations of readers and writers. Letters to J. D. Salinger includes more than 150 personal letters addressed to Salinger from well-known writers, editors, critics, journalists, and other luminaries, as well as from students, teachers, and readers around the world, some of whom had just discovered Salinger for the first time. Their voices testify to the lasting impression Salinger’s ideas and emotions have made on so many diverse lives.

Chris Kubica is an associate producer of the documentary film Salinger (2013). A native of Appleton, Wisconsin, he lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is a writer and software developer. Will Hochman is a professor of English at Southern Connecticut State University. He is the author of Freer and coauthor of A Critical Companion to J.D. Salinger.