A Perfect Day for Bananafish
1948 short story by J. D. Salinger
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in the January 31, 1948, issue of The New Yorker. It was anthologized in 1949's 55 Short Stories from The New Yorker, as well as in Salinger's 1953 collection Nine Stories. The story is an enigmatic examination of a young married couple, Muriel and Seymour Glass, on vacation in Florida. It is the first of his stories to feature a member of the fictional Glass family.
When the 28-year-old Salinger submitted the manuscript to The New Yorker in January 1947, titled "The Bananafish", its arresting dialogue and precise style were read with interest by fiction editor William Maxwell and his staff, though the point of the story, in this original version, was considered incomprehensible.
At Maxwell's urging, Salinger embarked upon a major reworking of the piece, adding the opening section with Muriel's character, and crafting the material to provide insights into Seymour's tragic demise. In frequent consultation with editor Gus Lobrano, Salinger revised the story numerous times throughout 1947, renaming it "A Fine Day for Bananafish". The New Yorker published the final version as "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" one year after Salinger first submitted the manuscript.
The story met with immediate acclaim, and according to Salinger biographer Paul Alexander, was "the story that would permanently change his standing in the literary community." Salinger's decision to collaborate with Maxwell and The New Yorker staff in developing the story marked a major advance in his career and led to his entry into the echelon of elite writers at the journal. The story has been compared to F. Scott Fitzgerald's "May Day."
Plot summary
The story is set at a large seaside resort in Florida.
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