William Saroyan

* Peter H. King’s March 26 column, “Saroyan’s Literary Quarantine,” was, in part, a charmer that William Saroyan himself would have approved, except for the inaccuracies: specifically, that Saroyan today is held under book-land quarantine, that few of his titles are in print and that he is barely taught in the schools. Since Saroyan’s death, there has never been a “quarantine,” and over 450 permission grants and publications have occurred, many of which are in use in high schools and colleges throughout America and the world.

Noting that King operates out of the San Francisco office of The Times and the fact that San Francisco is the headquarters of the William Saroyan Foundation, it seems reasonable that he would inquire about the facts. The William Saroyan Foundation would welcome a visit from King if he has an interest in setting the record straight that he seems to have unknowingly bent.

ROBERT SETRAKIAN

President

William Saroyan Foundation

San Francisco