Down at The Dinghy

"Down at the Dinghy" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in Harper's in April 1949, and included in the compilation, Nine Stories.

Written in the summer of 1948 at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, the story marks a shift away from Salinger’s literary misanthropy, which had largely been informed by his horrific combat experiences in Europe during WWII, and toward a “reaffirmation” of human interdependence and spiritual reawakening.

The piece includes “Boo Boo” Glass Tannenbaum, one the key members of Salinger’s fictional Glass family, and makes reference to two of her brothers, Seymour Glass (deceased) and Webb “Buddy” Glass.