J D Salinger Early story "THE VARIONI BROTHERS

J D Salinger. The Saturday Evening Post. The Curtis Publishing Company, 1943. First Edition. "THE VARIONI BROTHERS" The Curtis Publishing Company, 1943. Soft cover. First Edition. This Salinger shoort story appears for first time in print in this The Saturday Evening Post, Volume CCXVI. Published in Philadelphia by The Curtis Publishing Company on July 17, 1943. In fact he sold the rights to "The Varioni Brothers," along with several other stories, to a well-known literary agent even before its initial publication in the July 17, 1943 issue of the "Saturday Evening Post." The story is a tale of two brothers: Joe, a sensitive writer who values artistic integrity, and his brother Sonny, a musician who, though talented, is more interested in fame and fortune. Sonny cajoles Joe into writing the lyrics for his songs, which result in wealth and celebrity for both brothers. Yet this drive, Sonny's drive, it must be emphasized, for money and renown is not without consequence, as a gangster shoots Joe, mistaking him for Sonny. These two characters are thought to be modeled after facets of Salinger's own personality. The character of Sonny is even named after Salinger, "Sonny" being his own childhood nickname. Thus the whole story is an analysis of Salinger himself, of the paths available to him in life, of what he perceived as the rewards and consequences of each option. Indeed, as Salinger's most recent biographer Kenneth Slawenski argues, "The Varioni Brothers" functions as an examination of "the power of success to destroy true inspiration and contains an unmistakable analysis of the author himself, a sophisticated parable that Hollywood would certainly not have understood." Magazine very good except for light rubbing and creasing on both covers, small tear on fore edge of front cover.