Don't Save Anything: Uncollected Essays Articles and Profiles

About this book

"In Dont Save Anything . . . Kay Eldredge Salter assembles her late husbands breadandbutter journalismyet how delicious good bread and butter can be! . . . As always Salter emphasizes simple vivifying details." Michael Dirda The Washington Post One of the greatest writers of American sentences in our literary history James Salters acute and glimmering portrayals of characters are built with a restrained and poetic style. The author of several memorable works of fictionincluding Dusk and Other Stories which won the PEN/Faulkner Awardhe is also celebrated for his memoir Burning the Days and many nonfiction essays. In her preface Kay Eldredge Salter writes Dont Save Anything is a volume of the best of Jims nonfictionarticles published but never collected in one place until now. Though those many boxes were overflowing with papers in the end its not really a matter of quantity. These pieces reveal some of the breadth and depth of Jims endless interest in the world and the people in it . . . One of the great pleasures in writing nonfiction is the writers feeling of exploration of learning about things he doesnt know of finding out by reading and observing and asking questions and then writing it down. Thats what youll find here. This collection gathers Salters thoughts on writing and profiles of important writers observations of the changing American military life evocations of Aspen winters musings on mountain climbing and skiing and tales of travels to Europe that first appeared in The New Yorker Esquire People Conde Nast Traveler the Aspen Times among other publications.