Did he kick the bucket?
(( ping ))
Salinger certainly led an interesting life, and apparently served quite honorably in the army during WWII. If he was a literary “one-hit wonder”, then it was by his own choice. ..And what a hit it was.
I also found it interesting that Salinger attended Valley Forge Military Academy for 2 years and attended Ursinus College. These are places fairly local to my area.
Man. I thought he had passed on a long time ago.
Looking back, I wonder why. At the time I thought it was very cutting edge and avant guarde. Sort of like the movie, Rebel Without a Cause.
Today...not so much. It was simply a revelation of what we all learn. (Oh my gosh...I have become a geezer!!!)
My seniors read “The Catcher in the Rye” for their English class. It perfectly captures the sort of manic, shallow enthusiasm of being a teenager, and that hasn’t changed at all since 1951 (or probably since the late Stone Age).
In a way, I can understand what he did. Someone told me once that we can go back and fix a bad first impression, but our last impression is the one that sticks. To prove it, he asked me what I remembered about John Belushi. And to prove it again, I just asked my 11-year-old son (sitting next to me playing “World of Warcraft”) what he remembered about Elvis. “He was fat and he had sideburns,” is the answer. Not exactly “Heartbreak Hotel.”
So Salinger wrote a great book and decided to leave on a positive note. He has consistently taught generations of kids; at least the ones in my class are obligated to think about dealing with the death of a loved one, growing up, and coming to grips with the pain (and joy) of living. Not bad. Rest in peace.
Catcher in the Rye is the only Salinger novel I’ve read, but I thought it was fantastic. It’s one of those books where I had to read it from beginning to end in one sitting, because I didn’t want to put it down.
Read all his novels because all my friends did.
Franny and Zooey
Raise high the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction
and some short stories.
REmember the titles but don’t remember any of the books. Teenage angst.
Did like all classics. You know: plot, character, theme. Remember a lot of them.
Hope he knew the Lord.
I prefer books that promote purity to children, something we are in short supply of in this country and have been for 40 to 50 years. CS Lewis’ Narnia books. I think it’s a shame teens are forced to read Catcher in the Rye. Yuck.
If you want gritty give them Lord of the Flies. At least that shows kids what Jesus taught, that man in inherently evil at his core.
Now we may get the real story, as well as all the fiction he has been writing over the decades and not publishing.
Goodbye to one of the greats. Underrated by many, but we shall see.
Sad to hear this (though 91 is certainly a respectable age). I liked CATCHER IN THE RYE, but went through a period where I absolutely *adored* his novella (novellette?), “Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters.” I read that thing over and over, just enamored of the language. I may have to dig it out and read it again now!
Some trivia regarding “Catcher In The Rye”...John Lennon’s killer was obsessed with this book and had it on him when he shot the ex-Beatle outside his apartment in NYC. The guy who shot Ronald Reagan a few months later was also a big fan of the book. Just find those facts kind of strange...