OT: J.D. Salinger dies at 91...

Submitted by Ghost of Bo on
Link: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1957492,00.html?xid=rss-to… First Howard Zinn, now this. Salinger was poised to become the next great American author in 1951, and then he curiously vanished. He left behind quite an enigmatic legacy, not to mention The Catcher in the Rye - his masterpiece. Regardless of your feelings about Catcher in the Rye (an admittedly polarizing book), one must acknowledge his substantial writing talent and his profound effect on readers worldwide. Rest in peace, JD.
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AMazinBlue

January 28th, 2010 at 6:32 PM ^

of self-loathing once-removed? Or is it simply self-deprecation so that others feel an under-whelming desire to pos-bang you. I just disillusioned myself. I haven't read Catcher in the Rye since I was 16 in high school. It was the first book I read cover to cover without putting it down. Then came Travels With Charley, by Steinbeck. It was at that moment that I knew I was going to be an English major in college. Little did I know that, that and a dollar will get you a newspaper and a cup of coffee in 1987 when I graduated. (USA Today was .50 and I don't drink coffee). Of course I have been in I.T. for 13 years. Go figure.

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Noahdb

January 28th, 2010 at 3:02 PM ^

I'm in the opposite camp. I read Catcher in the Rye when I was 18 and despised it. I went back and tried to revisit it to see what I had missed...I still can't figure it out. Not that it's a reflection on Salinger or anyone who liked the book...just I agree that CITR was polarizing.

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His Dudeness

January 28th, 2010 at 3:08 PM ^

Franny and Zooey >>>> Catcher in the Rye. He spent the final years of his life in isolation fighting off unauthorized publishment of his works. Kind of a sad end for the man.

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MGoJen

January 28th, 2010 at 3:16 PM ^

The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey are two of my favorite books of all time. (I would underline the titles if I knew how to underline things in MGoBlogLand!) I first read Catcher as a disillusioned 17 year old and Franny and Zooey as a disillusioned 20 year old. (I did a lot of growing up in college and am much less disillusioned today.) Reading those books was a life-changing experience. After finishing each of them, I was startled that I could connect so deeply with the written word--I found comfort in them. I always admired Salinger's refusal to comment on his works. I like to think he didn't tell us what he had in mind writing them because he wanted to give us the opportunity to connect with them in our own way. For that alone, I am very grateful.

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mgorichrod

January 28th, 2010 at 4:59 PM ^

If you read the book in high school and haven't read it since, I suggest you pick it up one more time. I read it for summer reading in high school, liked it, but didn't truly appreciate it until taking English 298 last year. You might have a completely different perspective on the book if you revisit it.

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DY

January 28th, 2010 at 6:44 PM ^

is the inspiration for James Earl Jone's character Horace Mann in Field of Dreams and in the book Shoeless Joe, Ray Kinsela goes looking for Salinger.

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Bando Calrissian

January 28th, 2010 at 9:05 PM ^

I really have to wonder how many people mourning Salinger today were even aware he was still alive. Guy did a pretty credible job of disappearing from the public eye trying not to be famous. I bet 9 out of 10 people thought he died years ago.

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