Go See Eddie
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| "Go See Eddie" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by J. D. Salinger | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publication | |
| Published in | University of Kansas City Review |
| Publication date | December 1940 |
"Go See Eddie" is a short story by J. D. Salinger published in the University of Kansas City Review in December 1940. The story is included in the 2014 Salinger collection Three Early Stories.[1][2]
Helen, an aspiring actor, becomes romantically involved with Phil Stone while visiting Chicago. Phil, a married man, has introduced beautiful Helen to a socially exclusive world of wealth and dissipation. She thrives in this milieu, amusing herself by playing the femme fatale.
Helen's brother Bobby, a booking agent, is appalled that his sister, a good-natured and decent-spirited young woman, has been traduced by this pretentious crowd. Bobby, fearing that Helen's good character will be distorted, encourages her to contact Eddie Jackson, who is producing a local stage play. Helen agrees to disengage from Phil and his degenerate friends and pursue her acting career.[3][4]
Background
After his first success seeing his short story [The Young Folks" (1940) published in Story, Salinger made various story submissions to a number of journals which responded with rejection slips. "Go See Eddie" was repeatedly turned down by Whit Burnett at Story, by Esquire, and by a number of other journals.[5]
Dejected, Salinger briefly considered becoming a playwright and adapting "The Young Folks" to a stage play in which he would perform the lead character. After a month long sojourn in Canada, he returned to the USA fully re-committed to pursuing a career as a short-story writer.[6]
"Go See Eddie" was ultimately accepted for publication by the University of Kansas City Review, "an academic magazine with limited circulation," appearing in its December 1940 edition.[7]
