J.D. Salinger & Claire Douglas

What Happened

J.D. Salinger married Claire Douglas in February 1955, just four years after 'The Catcher in the Rye' made him one of America's most famous authors. Salinger insisted that Claire drop out of Radcliffe College to join him in Cornish, New Hampshire, even though she was only four months from graduation. It was the first of many demands that would define their twelve-year marriage.

In Cornish, Salinger became increasingly reclusive, isolating Claire from friends and family. Their daughter Margaret was born in 1955 and son Matthew in 1960. According to Margaret Salinger's memoir 'Dream Catcher,' her father made Claire 'a virtual prisoner,' controlling her social contacts, forbidding her from pursuing her own interests, and disappearing for long stretches to write while leaving her alone with the children.

Claire separated from Salinger in September 1966, and their divorce was finalized on October 3, 1967. She received custody of both children. The financial terms were not publicly disclosed, but Salinger's literary estate was substantial despite his refusal to publish new work after 1965. In a characteristically Salingerian irony, the author who wrote so compassionately about alienated youth created a deeply alienating domestic environment.

After the divorce, Salinger built a new house across the road from the family home and continued to see his children regularly. Claire later returned to school and became a Jungian psychologist. Margaret Salinger's 2000 memoir revealed the extent of her father's controlling behavior, including his obsession with various spiritual practices that he imposed on the family.

Legal Breakdown: Isolation, controlling behavior, and the divorce rights of spouses in reclusive marriages

What This Means for Your Divorce