Sunday, February 28, 2010
J. D. Salinger
When J. D. Salinger died on January 27th, I was tempted to announce it in a post a la Soupy Sales. But it was front page news so I didn't bother. Today, there is an interesting article in the Post Gazette about the man. So, for anyone who was greatly influenced by the Glass family (like me and the woman who wrote the article) and who normally does not read the Post Gazette, you will not want to miss this.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Yes, that (to me) is one of literature's seminal passages, but it is an injustice to read it for the first time without reading the novel. The novel is so good that I hate to have anyone not experience the whole kit 'n kaboodle, and that passage is a sort of climax.
Also, Salinger loved to write, but he has published little. I suspect (and C. C. Smith hints it) that there will be some welcomed works coming now.
PG article was really refreshing -- straightforward and unpretentious. The last bit poses quite a thrilling challenge for parents (or anyone I guess):What is the beautiful bike I can give you that you will never get off of?
I just finished a book about the liberation of Paris, so was intrigued to learn that Salinger was among the American forces entering Paris and that he met Hemmingway (a war correspondent) for the first time at the Ritz.
I admit having seconds thoughts about the putting up the Franny and Zooey passage the moment after I posted it. And for the very reasons Jim stated. So, I repent of ever having posted and will delete. (Probably too late -- oh well.)
Hehe, I don't think you have to worry; no one reads this.
There are reports of 15 or 16 novels stored in Salinger's safe. This is purely conjecture, but, if he left instructions in his will to destroy them, what should the proper course of action be?
I have not read Franny and Zooey, so I cannot comment on that work. However, after reading The Catcher in the Rye a few years ago, I will admit I was thoroughly disappointed. It is one of those books (or movies) that you have to experience at a certain age or else you miss out completely on the meaning and importance. Although I wonder if the same opportunity might come around again as I get older.
I found this to be true with John Fowles' The Magus. Again, I read this recently, and was struck by knowing that had I read this at the end of high school or in college, I may have been profoundly influenced by the work, and would most likely have appreciated the book more than I did the later time. Instead I thought it was a well-written book with little else going for it.
Someday I will publish my reading list by age. I also didn't like The Catcher in the Rye and I think I read it at a fairly young age--obviously not young enough. As I always say, good authors write lousy books. Although, many people would disagree with me on The Catcher in the Rye. On the other hand, Franny and Zooey, for me, was completely different.
Now I'm sad to hear that The Magus did not hold up well on a later reading. Like you I was profoundly influenced by it. I would get very agitated while reading. I remember great thoughts along with great plot turnings.
It is an interesting concept: that the impact of books or movies, or whatever, shifts as we age.
I know that that has happened to me with movies -- although I suspect that that is less a function of age than of seeing a movie in the right frame of mind or mood and then, seeing it again when you're outside the zone. Back in July I blogged about my disappointment in seeing Splendor in the Grass again after 30 years.
I must admit, I tend not to go back and read books a second time, but I'm hard pressed to think of a book that lost it's luster or that I feel I would have liked better at another age. I must admit that I remember things differently -- like I thought Kim had a lot more adventure (the Great Game) than it actually did, and I never realized how funny parts of A Tale of Two Cities were. But overall they seemed as enjoyable as they were when I first read them. I just saw different things.
Anyway, I pretty much agree with Jim on his literay judgments. In my J.D. Salinger period, I read everything he wrote (not all that much) and it included Catcher in the Rye. It's not that I didn't like it; it didn't knock my socks off. Franny and Zooey, however, is in the firmament for me. I also was totally mesmerized by the Magus and at the time I could hardly believe that a book could affect anyone so much. It was almost as if, like the guy in the Magus, reality for me seemed off it's moorings.
I talked Ellen into reading The Razor's Edge last summer, and I ended thumbing through the book to my favorite parts. It was all as I remembered it.
Martin is writing a paper on Salinger, so if you have any knowledge of the man, get in touch with Martin.
Post a Comment