JD Salinger died today. Who knows how long his body laid undiscovered in his literary unabomber cabin.
I remember reading Catcher In The Rye at the impressionable age of 14 on a beach in Mexico over winter vacation- in between my first lustful glances at latino boys, ahhh budding sexuality. I finished the book- and promptly flipped back to the first page, committing myself to a life dedicated to self-importance that has surprisingly remained free of elaborate assassination plots fueled by paranoid schizophrenia.
Then came Franny & Zooey. I loved that book.
Let's take a minute to remember J.D. Salinger, another dead white man who was just as much of a phony as you are.
Previously in Misc/Awesome:
- 12/28: Terrible Boyfriend/ Girlfriend Generator.
- 12/1: The John Waters Advent Calendar-it starts today
- 11/28: It Chooses You: All I Want for Christmas is Everything from Miranda July's Pop-Up Shop
- 11/3: Things I'd Move to Minnesota For
- 9/6: PHOTOS: Maloof $$ Money Cup
- 9/2: PHOTOS: Chantilly Model Train Show
- 9/1: Libby's List: 5 Things I Want Right Now...
- 8/22: PHOTOS: Best Friends Day
- 8/10: PHOTOS: Lawn Mover Racing, Eastern Seaboard Regionals @ Bowles Farm
- 7/26: Special List: Things the BYGays Want Now That We Can Marry In DC (and NY!)
God loves a cheerful giver.
I hated Catcher in the Rye. Annoying book.
I just re-read "Catcher in the Rye" last week. I just had the urge to read it all of a sudden.
how can I make this a college admissions essay topic?
My favorites are "Nine Stories" and "Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenters". A much bigger fan his shorter stuff than the novels. I even use that "no one outranks me on this block" quote ALL THE TIME.
With this and Howard Zinn, it is a sad day for heroes of nerdy American teenagers everywhere
my favorite thing he ever wrote was a short paragraph in his forward to "Seymour An Introduction and Raising High the Roofbeams Carpenters."
He explained the cold relationship he had with publishers and critics as a result of his frequent use of parenthetical statements in his writing. He then provided them with a peace offering of a "flowering bouquet of parenthesis (((((((((((()))))))))))." A nice little "Fuck off" to the naysayers.
It's a lovely day for bananafish. RIP
When I was 17 that flowering bouqet of parenthesis was everything i was all about. I miss being so impressed by things.
I find that people that didn't like Catcher in the Rye have more in common with Holden than those that like the book and wish they were Holden. And fine if you didn't like the book, but no need to be so flippant and disrespectful, Jeff. Whether you like his work or not, it has made an impact on generations of people, mostly for the better. imo.
It will be interesting to see how publishing companies fight over rights to his work, and how long it will take to publish all of it. I cannot wait to read it.
He drank his own pee!
also, this just happened on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1556511272/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
His s.s. "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" was amazing. None of his other work struck me quite like it did. Anyways, thanks for being a baller-ass writer that captivated millions of frustrated adolescents, meester Salinger.
When I was in 7th Grade my Dad was trying to buy me "Catcher in the Rye", and of course I was being a little shit and saying it looked boring. He made me sit on a bench and read the first page, and if I didn't want it after that he wouldn't get it for me. All it took was the phrase "David Copperfield kind of crap" (I've always hated Dickens) and I was sold, and it ended up being the book that got me into literature.
These days I'm more likely to reread "Franny and Zooey", but I'm always going to have a special place in my heart for it because of that.
All his stories from New Yorker free now, online:http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/backissues/2010/01/postscript-j-d-salinger.html
I'm really curious to see who dies next. Y'all should run a betting pool on the site.
Libby nailed the appropriate sentiment. Similarly, funny Onion article....
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/bunch_of_phonies_mourn_j_d