Goodbye Mr. Salinger. And Thank You.

So I'm sure most of the literary word has heard the news by now that J.D. Salinger passed away yesterday at the ripe old age of 91.

I was a bit sad at first, but really, he lived a good, long life. I am so very pleased that all of his work is resurfacing now and have seen many posts on FB, Twitter, and others about re-reading Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey.

I'm so thankful for Salinger and the art he published. He seemed to avoid the craziness and stick to his reclusive lifestyle while being a literary genius. Catcher touched me in many ways and I related to Holden in more ways than I'd like to admit. I first read it when I was 18 and had just moved to New York City. I've even named a character in one of my works in progress after him.

So thank you, J D Salinger - for all you gave the world. You live on through your art, which will be read forever. You touched me and so many others - and for that, I will never forget you or the literary worlds you created.

Rest in Peace.


In Tribute:


I found this article on the times that was really cool. It follows Holden Caulfield's journey through New York with page numbers and passages regarding each location:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/28/nyregion/20100128-salinger-map.html


Some great quotes:
"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though."
- The Catcher in the Rye

"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody."
- The Catcher in the Rye

"The most singular difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is a solid and joy a liquid."
- Nine Stories

"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's."
- Franny and Zooey


Blogs about J.D. Salinger:

http://jessicaisreading.blogspot.com/2010/01/rip-jd-salinger.html


Did you blog about Salinger? Leave a link to your post in the comments and I'll link to it here.