J. D. SALINGER

(☼ NUEVA YORK, 01-01-19 – † NEW HAMPSHIRE, 27-01-10)
IN MEMORIAM

CHAPTER 1

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them. They're quite touchy about anything like that, especially my father. They're nice and allóI'm not saying that-but they're also touchy as hell. Besides, I'm not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything. I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy. [...]
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From The Catcher in the Rye, 1951.

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CAPÍTULO 1

Si de verdad les interesa lo que voy a contarles, lo primero que querrán saber es dónde nací, cómo fue todo ese rollo de mi infancia, qué hacían mis padres antes de tenerme a mí, y demás puñetas estilo David Copperfield, pero no tengo ganas de contarles nada de eso. Primero porque es una lata, y, segundo, porque a mis padres les daría un ataque si yo me pusiera aquí a hablarles de su vida privada. Para esas cosas son muy especiales, sobre todo mi padre. Son buena gente, no digo que no, pero a quisquillosos no hay quien les gane. Además, no crean que voy a contarles mi autobiografía con pelos y señales. Sólo voy a hablarles de una cosa de locos que me pasó durante las Navidades pasadas, antes de que me quedara tan débil que tuvieran que mandarme aquí a reponerme un poco. [...]
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De El Guardián entre el Centeno, 1951.
(Trad. Carmen Criado)