A Girlfriend Familiar (from A Girl I Knew ) is a short story by J. D. Salinger , first published in February 1948 in Good Housekeeping. The story was originally called Vienna, Vienna. Salinger was deeply offended since the name was changed by the editors of the magazine. This story was republished in Best American Short Stories 1949, ed. Martha Foley, 1949
Story
The story begins when the narrator fails from college. His father suggests sending him to Europe to study languages that he could use to help his business. While in Vienna, the narrator meets the girl Leah. She is Jewish and is trying to give him German lessons. He often stumbles in a new language, drawing himself to her and her family. They both spend time in his apartment. It takes some time before the narrator moves to Paris and then returns to college in America.
At school, he receives a letter from Leah stating that she is married. As in the case of other letters in the works of Salinger, the narrator carries him with him for some time. News began to spread that the Nazis had invaded Vienna, and he was joining the army as an infantryman. Since he is in intelligence, he uses some skills acquired in the study of various languages. The story ends when he is in Vienna after the war and hears that Leah is dead. Presumably she was sent to Buchenwald, as the story tells. The narrator finds the apartment, which is the officer’s apartment. He notices that everything has changed and abruptly leaves.
Sources
- J. D. Salinger, (February 1948). "The Girl I Knew." Good Housekeeping. Hearst Communications, Inc.
- Levin, Paul (October 1958). "J. D. Salinger: The Development of an Unsuccessful Hero. ” Literature of the twentieth century. IV: 92-99.