'Companions in One's Life'

 

“Man was very fortunate to have invented the book. Without it, the past would completely vanish, and we would be left with nothing, we would be naked on earth.” –  James Salter

Born on June 10, 1925 "Salter" was the pen name for James Arnold Horowitz.   He later adopted it as his legal name.  Salter wrote novels, short stories and screenplays ("Downhill Racer") and was renowned for his beautiful prose.  His friend Pulitzer Prize-winner     

Richard Ford, noted, "It is an article of faith among readers of fiction that James Salter writes American sentences better than anybody."

Known for characters' names, Salter once noted, “There are writers for whom names mean nothing; everybody could be called John and Elizabeth, and the writing would be just as good.  But, to me, a name is like a piece of clothing.   It gives you an impression right away.”

The son of a career military officer, Salter followed his father to West Point and moved to the Air Force when it became a separate military branch in the late 1940s.  He flew over 100 combat missions in the Korean War and wrote about it in his first novel, the best-selling The Hunters.  Made into a highly acclaimed movie, it also made actor Robert Mitchum a star.

Salter, who died at age 90, wrote 20 bestsellers, including All That Is at age 88, and Solo Faces out of a film script rejected by Robert Redford.   “The writers of books are companions in one's life and, as such, are often more interesting than any other companions.” 

 

 

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