RIP J.D. Salinger

[Platypus]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/books/29salinger.html?hp

Catcher in the Rye was one of my favorites as an adolescent.

 

[KeithTalent]

Yeah, just saw this.

Franny and Zooey is one of my favourite novels.

R.I.P.

KT

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Hugely influential writer. I like it when an American writer influences the entire world. We may dominate through fortune and power, but we still huge influence over the globe with our own literature and arts (music/movies). (lol america fuck ya! )

May if finally RIP...very well deserved rest. Thanks for your works

 

[PricklyPete]

R.I.P. Catcher in the Rye was awesome.

 

[halik]

Why do people love that book?

I was forced to read it in highschool and the best I can sum it up with with the family guy line :

"remember there is nothing more important than what goes on right by these lockers in highschool"

 

[sdifox]

Rip

 

[IAteYourMother]

i remember my English teacher talking about how JD Salinger has been avoiding publishing for awhile now and that there's been speculation of him withholding a lot of his writing. She was so excited when talking about how when Salinger finally kicks the bucket, there's going to be a ton of exciting literature available. lol.

 

[Platypus]

Why do people love that book?

I was forced to read it in highschool and the best I can sum it up with with the family guy line :

"remember there is nothing more important than what goes on right by these lockers in highschool"

Because it captures a snapshot of how every teenager feels without being riddled with awful cliches. At the time I read it, and I'm sure lots of other people, it was potently resonant, relevant and well written.

It's like a John Hughes movie, lets say the Breakfast Club.. 99.9% of movies involving teens are retarded, unrealistic and cliche but that one is different and therefore holds a place in a lot of people's minds.

 

[Linflas]

Yeah, just saw this.

Franny and Zooey is one of my favourite novels.

R.I.P.

KT

My least favorite of Salinger's works was Catcher In The Rye but I really enjoyed Franny and Zooey and all the other Glass family stories.

RIP

 

[Thump553]

Very good author, and I especially admired him for the way he totally and actively avoided any sort of publicity. People talked about him as a recluse, as if that is a bad thing. We need more JD Salingers, less Paris Hiltons.

 

[Zedtom]

The Catcher in the Rye rocked my world when I first read it. The mindset of Holden Caulfield meshed perfectly with the attitudes I had formed as a result of the twisted New York humor of Mad magazine that I read as a kid.

I cherish my copy that was stolen, of course, from my high school library.

 

[Capt Caveman]

R.I.P. Catcher in the Rye was awesome.

My thoughts too. RIP

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

I loved Catcher in the Rye, but I also had an amazing high school literature teacher to help guide us through a lot of the symbolism and intricacies. I could see someone slogging through it on their own thinking it was nothing special.

RIP, JD. And as much as your passing saddens me, I am looking forward to seeing if your estate will publish some of those novels you have locked in your safe.

 

[Nitemare]

RIP

Hated watching the movie in school, but the book was so much better

 

[BW86]

Rip

 

[grrl]

Maybe I should try to finally finish CITR. I could never get through it in high school, I found it too annoying.

 

[KeithTalent]

My least favorite of Salinger's works was Catcher In The Rye but I really enjoyed Franny and Zooey and all the other Glass family stories.

RIP

Yep, same here. Caulfield kind of got on my nerves, though I did like the novel overall.

KT

 

[arrfep]

:'(

Man, I don't ever get emotional about the passing of a "celebrity," but hearing the news today kind of made me sad. I had the typical attachment to Catcher In the Rye that most angsty adolescents have, but it wasn't until I began to identify as a "writer" that I realized how important a book it is. Salinger was really the last living Great American Novelist. It's a shame he stayed so cooped up. I always imagined being able to track him down and asking him to read my first manuscript. Ah well. RIP, JD.

 

[SirStev0]

Holy Shit, JD Salinger is dead.

Honestly, If you haven't read "A Perfect day for Bananafish" you are missing out on probably the one of the greatest American short stories ever written.

Franny and Zooey is another one of my favorite reads. Catcher in the Rye goes with out saying. Howard Zinn died last night as well. Another great author, philosopher and intellectual. Fuck. Shitty day for American Culture.

 

[Lummex]

Yep, Catcher in the Rye has long been one of my top five favorite books ever. RIP

 

[3chordcharlie]

The Catcher in the Rye rocked my world when I first read it. The mindset of Holden Caulfield meshed perfectly with the attitudes I had formed as a result of the twisted New York humor of Mad magazine that I read as a kid.

I cherish my copy that was stolen, of course, from my high school library.

Can you actually get it anywhere else?

 

[Key West]

Too lazy so I paste what I wrote to my friend on FB:

RIP indeed.. however I couldn't stand Catcher in the Rye. It was the ultimate emo book. No exaggeration, the dude does nothing but whining for 180 pages and then it ends with 'yea I want to be a ball catcher in the rye'. Emo noob. I remember I was so appalled how this book made the HS reading. I had to read it again just few years ago to see if I missed anything... NOPE.

Thanks for listening.

----friend replies praising him---

I was half joking before. The book certainly has its merit. Personally I just couldn't get past the incessant whining. By the end, I wasn't engaged enough for Holden's abrupt metamorphosis all triggered by his sister in the last fifteen pages.

Apples to oranges I guess. My childhood sweet spots are: Flowers for Algernon (original novella), My Sweet Orange Tree/O Meu Pe de Laranja Lima and anything Mark Twain. Can't forget Ender Series (Orson Scott Card) for the geek in me.

RIP JD Salinger.

 

[BeauJangles]

People either love Catcher in the Rye or hate it.

In my opinion, that book was a pile of trash. Still, it's too bad he died, he was one of the great English authors.

 

[Anubis]

Why do people love that book?

I was forced to read it in highschool and the best I can sum it up with with the family guy line :

"remember there is nothing more important than what goes on right by these lockers in highschool"

I hated it in HS as well, but i hated everything we had to read in HS. Because of that i reread it when i was in college to see if the reason i hated it was because i was forced to read it or if it was because it was just bad. Turns out it was because it was just bad. 2 chapters in i was really hoping he would just swallow a bullet because he was such a winy POS, i don't think I've ever read a book where the main char was such a emo POS.

i do however like how his fan said HAHA no memorial for you

 

[rockyct]

I really couldn't identify with Caulfield and frankly, I couldn't stand him, so Catcher in the Rye was not a good book for me. It was really one of the few high school books I did not enjoy.