Author J.D. Salinger has died at 91. The author of “The Catcher in the Rye” died on Wednesday in his New Hampshire home.
He had recently broken his hip but was doing well when he suddenly became ill and died of natural causes.
It sounds like a quiet end to a quiet man who greatly enriched the world with a literary masterpiece.
What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t, you feel even worse.
~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 1
For the full story, click here.
Mespo,
How was the depo in CA?
BIL:
Sorry to cut in the line there Buddha. I consider it said by you.
BIL–
Welcome back!
I recommended and gave a copy of “The Catcher in the Rye” to my daughter when she was in high school. She loved the book.
A fond adieu, Mr. Salinger.
Alas my choice of tribute to the power of your words was used by mespo, so I’ll just say seconded.
He is missed already. A real Icon in the literary world. I can remember school district officials arguing whether the book should be banned. I am glad that they didn’t cave to the pressure.
“Among other things, you’ll find that you’re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You’re by no means alone on that score, you’ll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You’ll learn from them – if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It’s a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn’t education. It’s history. It’s poetry.”
~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 24, spoken by the character Mr. Antolini
It’s poetry indeed, Mr. Salinger. Great writing never dies or fades.
Ave atque vale!
To this day from well over 30 years ago, the first time I saw the name “Phoebe” in print was in the book, The Catcher in the Rye. My ninth grade english teacher corrected how it was being pronounced by some in the class, including me. I like that the first commenter to this post is named Phoebe. 🙂
What, no mention of Howard Zinn’s death on the blog?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/us/29zinn.html?hpw
I read CITR. I don’t get what the big deal is.
“It’s funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they’ll do practically anything you want them to.”
“All morons hate it when you call them a moron.”
“I don’t exactly know what I mean by that, but I mean it.”
And words to live by or not:
“Anyway, I’m sort of glad they’ve got the atomic bomb invented. If there’s ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell on top of it. I’ll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will.” ~J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 18
May his words become immortalized…..
A priceless comment from the Minnesota Star Tribune:
Phonies
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.