[ThinkInsane]

Some cut-rate celeb dies and we get a RIP thread within minutes, but one of the most influential literary voices of the 20th century croaks it, and nada. That, my friends, is a rather sad state of affairs.

Anyway, The Onion said it better than I ever could:

Originally Posted by The Onion

CORNISH, NH—In this big dramatic production that didn't do anyone any good (and was pretty embarrassing, really, if you think about it), thousands upon thousands of phonies across the country mourned the death of author J.D. Salinger, who was 91 years old for crying out loud. "He had a real impact on the literary world and on millions of readers," said hot-shot English professor David Clarke, who is just like the rest of them, and even works at one of those crumby schools that rich people send their kids to so they don't have to look at them for four years. "There will never be another voice like his." Which is exactly the lousy kind of goddamn thing that people say, because really it could mean lots of things, or nothing at all even, and it's just a perfect example of why you should never tell anybody anything.

Bunch Of Phonies Mourn J.D. Salinger | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

So any fans in this joint? Thoughts about the influence of his work? When I was teaching, Catcher was one of the few books I really looked forward to assigning. It was the book that always seemed most engaging to the pack of juvenile degenerates that masqueraded as students.

[The Final Dakar]

I haven't seen his tits, so I don't care*

*In actuality, I never read his work, so I don't have any opinion.

[osiris]

I read Catcher in high school - didn't think much about it.
But what has he done since then, besides inspire serial killers (for some bizarre reason)?

[SpaceMonkey]

But the lawsuits filed by his estate will live on forever...

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by osiris 

I read Catcher in high school - didn't think much about it.
But what has he done since then, besides inspire serial killers (for some bizarre reason)?

I'm rather curious to see what he has been doing during his self-imposed exile from public view. Maybe now we'll find out. There seems to be a lot of speculation as to whether or not we'll be seeing new works made available after all these years. I would be surprised if he stopped writing, rather than just stopped publishing. I guess time will tell.

[The Final Dakar]

Early word I read is the people in charge of his works will honor that none of them are to be made movies.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by ThinkInsane 

I'm rather curious to see what he has been doing during his self-imposed exile from public view. Maybe now we'll find out. There seems to be a lot of speculation as to whether or not we'll be seeing new works made available after all these years. I would be surprised if he stopped writing, rather than just stopped publishing. I guess time will tell.

Yes, I'd be very surprised as well if he stopped writing. There's always the possibility that Catcher In The Rye was a one shot deal - like a one hit wonder. Maybe the other stuff was unpublishable...

Or perhaps there's a whole body of work that will inspire people in more positive ways.

[ThinkInsane]

While Catcher is obviously his best known work, personally I don't think it's his best work. I prefer the short fiction in Nine Stories myself, but that's a matter of opinion. He actually published three other books, although many assume Catcher was the only book he put out. Given the quality of his other published works, I would say CITR was far from a one shot deal.

[iM@k]

I just learned that I met him a few years ago and didn't even know it.

He lived about 20mins away from my home town here in NH. The local media is running stories explaining how the locals who did know who he was, made sure he was left alone and in peace as he wished.

Valley News ~ Full Story

Salinger's privacy now sacrosanct - Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

[Cold Warrior]

Manuscripts don't burn.

I'm sure he has writings tucked away. A writer's ideas need to get out onto paper.

[Andy8]

You may say I'm a dreamer...

[PB2K]

i cant think of a song lyric to google and copy/paste..sorry

but

RIP

[scottiB]

RIP, for crying out loud.

[smacintush]

I heard he was a recluse.

Someone somewhere said he was a recluse.

He preferred to live a reclusive lifestyle.

Hey, did you hear that he spent his life as a recluse?

Also, he didn't like to be in the public eye.

[Spheric Harlot]

I'ma let you finish, but seriously, Stephen King wrote one of the best books OF ALL TIME.

An' he ain't dead yet!

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I've been awol for a few days and look what happens!

Too bad. Catcher in the Rye should be mandatory for any education system.

greg

[Chuckit]

Because there's just not enough emo wangst in America's schools?

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by iM@k 

He lived about 20mins away from my home town here in NH. The local media is running stories explaining how the locals who did know who he was, made sure he was left alone and in peace as he wished.

That was the last story I read about him. They apparently all protected him. I also heard he watched a ton of TV during his later years.

Catcher was such a great book. I enjoy reading, but it's not that often that I just absolutely plow through pages without being able to take a break. Catcher was one of those stories that I blazed through, but I couldn't explain why it drew me in so well. I think everyone related to it in some way upon first read.

[dedalus]

Originally Posted by ThinkInsane 

Catcher was one of the few books I really looked forward to assigning. It was the book that always seemed most engaging to the pack of juvenile degenerates that masqueraded as students.

Pity Harry Potter wasn’t out then, I bet those degenerates would have really gobbled that up. Or, I don’t know, Ayn Rand, anyone?

I did hear of JDS, and I’m sure I must have seen some adaptation of CirR at some time, but really, it’s not like he’s Poe or Hemingway, or even Mailer, now, is he? What’s so great about him?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Originally Posted by dedalus 

Pity Harry Potter wasn’t out then, I bet those degenerates would have really gobbled that up. Or, I don’t know, Ayn Rand, anyone?

I did hear of JDS, and I’m sure I must have seen some adaptation of CirR at some time, but really, it’s not like he’s Poe or Hemingway, or even Mailer, now, is he? What’s so great about him?

Clearly, you should actually read Catcher in the Rye, hmmmm? I see very little "degenerate" about Harry Potter, and Ayn Rand has nothing to do with the type of coming-of-age magic that Catcher possesses.

greg

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by dedalus 

Pity Harry Potter wasn’t out then, I bet those degenerates would have really gobbled that up. Or, I don’t know, Ayn Rand, anyone?

I did hear of JDS, and I’m sure I must have seen some adaptation of CirR at some time, but really, it’s not like he’s Poe or Hemingway, or even Mailer, now, is he? What’s so great about him?

So... what's your point? I believe that both Harry Potter and Ayn Rand were available at the time, but neither of them were a part of the curriculum. Does not being Poe, Hemingway, or even Mailer, invalidate all other works? If you haven't read it (and I'm not sure what type of adaptation you may have come across, as far as I know there has never been a film/stage version of the book), maybe you should give it a read and see if it ranks with the heavyweights like Hemingway or Poe. I would certainly say he holds a lofty place with the likes of Mailer, Nabokov, Kerouac, Vonnegut and other respected writers of the post WW2 era.

Catcher appears on all of these lists of top 100 novels, some ranking it in the top five:
The Modern Library | 100 Best | Novels
Librarians Choose A Century of Good Books
Madison Public Library - Top 100 List of Novels
The Novel 100: The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time
The American Novel . Top Novel Lists . Experts Picks | PBS
Amazon.com: The 25 Best American Novels I Have Read
A Unified List of the Best 100 Novels � neilb
The Best English-Language Fiction of the Twentieth Century - By Rank

[dedalus]

My point was that popularity with schoolchildren doesn’t strike me as a particularly good measure of literary greatness.

The excerpts of ‘Catcher in the Rye’ that I have read strike me as ‘Young Adult’, meaning I can see why teenage Americans might relate to it, but from the perspective of an Englishman in his mid‑thirties, I don’t quite see how that makes the book a great piece of literature.

I didn’t say it was invalid.

[Jawbone54]

That's like saying The Road will only appeal to people living in a post apocalyptic wasteland.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

That's like saying The Road will only appeal to people living in a post apocalyptic wasteland.

Actually that might be true.

[abbaZaba]

Catcher In The Rye is the only book I have read of his, but I feel as if it is one of those books that the vast majority of people can find some relation too. It's been awhile since I've read it; perhaps I will pick up my copy and reread it.

I have a really old version of it with this awesome cover:


I absolutely love the look and feel of it. Feels very 'comfortable'. **** the Kindle and iPad, give me a nice, worn book any day of the week.

[Jawbone54]

Much better cover than mine:

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Actually that might be true.

This did get a from me.

[paul w]

I need to find a copy for my wife who actually never read it. I was shocked to find that it's no longer available in the iconic red cover. What a bummer.

[The Final Dakar]

I found this in my amazon cart: Amazon.com: The Catcher in the Rye (9780316769174): J. D. Salinger: Books

Looks like a variation of the old cover, though I guess there's no guarantees that's what actually ships.

[paul w]

I know it can be found, I just am surprised it's no longer in print with the red cover. It was so perfectly distinctive.

[The Final Dakar]

Did you look at the link?

[paul w]

Yes, it's the cover that abbazabba showed, the others being random customer photos.

By the way, Amazon, the customer images feature is maybe not such a terrific idea afterall.

[The Final Dakar]

Ohhhhh. My mistake.I thought the cover abbazabba showed was the old cover.

You may now verbally abuse me.

[paul w]

[The Final Dakar]

This is the worst verbal abuse I have ever received..

[Railroader]

Jerk.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Complaining that Amazon doesn't have the original cover: bunch of phonies

[The Final Dakar]

Who?

[ThinkInsane]

You can get the cool cover on a shirt
Out of Print Clothing

[scottiB]

Badass link. Thanks.

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by paul w 

I need to find a copy for my wife who actually never read it. I was shocked to find that it's no longer available in the iconic red cover. What a bummer.

I was at Sam's Club today and picked up a trade paperback copy with the cover abbaZaba posted. The had tons of them, for crying out loud.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by ThinkInsane 

I was at Sam's Club today and picked up a trade paperback copy with the cover abbaZaba posted. The had tons of them, for crying out loud.

That's great. Unfortunately, that's not the cover paul w is looking for.

[The Final Dakar]

Hahaha, ThinkInsane is as dumb as me!

[ThinkInsane]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

That's great. Unfortunately, that's not the cover paul w is looking for.

I know this, Paul wants the serial killer cover. I was just pointing out that those who don't want the boring white cover with the rainbow in the corner, which I believe is a mass market version (I much prefer trade paperbacks myself) could get it for $8 at Sam's. I did specify which cover I was talking about, I said it about fifty goddam times.

[andi*pandi]

I recently pulled Franny and Zooey off the shelf to reread... I'd forgotten how much of it is a conversation, and description, and anxiety waiting for something to happen. I'm also realizing that education used to be taken much more seriously. Namedroppers, all of them.