Orgone Accumulators: Designed in the 1930s by the Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, "Orgone" was the name given to a type of supposedly omnipresent, and beneficial, quasi-radiation (a "life-force") Reich claimed to have discovered. The unique wood and metal construction of the "Accumulator", Reich claimed, would collect and intensify Orgone energy. Thus sitting inside of one, with the door shut, for really long periods of time, would promote longevity and general health. In a 1974 interview with the New York Times, author J.D. Salinger, an extreme recluse, explained his refusal to publish new work. “I like to write,” he said. “I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure.” I am so with you there, Jerome. It's the only way to be. But, on the other hand, maybe drinking your own urine, practicing acupuncture on your children using wooden dowels instead of needles, and spending hours inside your own custom Orgone Box was slightly overdoing it? I know it was a different time, and that all the cool writers-Burroughs, Kerouac, Mailer--were trying it, but with you it just seems weird. The last known photo of J.D. Salinger: Thank you for the visit and I hope to see you again soon.
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