As many of you undoubtedly have heard, famous Catcher In The Rye author, J.D. Salinger died last Thursday at the age of 91. This presents very conflicted emotions for me, because I was both elated and also saddened when I heard the news. On one hand, the author has written one of the seminal books of the 20th century portraying teenage angst and confusion in a way I’ve never seen equaled. In fact, Catcher In The Rye’s beauty somehow only magnifies the older you become (the book has the distinct honor of being one of two books I’ve read multiple times and will continue to do so).

On the other hand, the author has not published since 1965. Actually, Catcher In The Rye is the only true book he released. His entire anthologized published output amounts to 4 short novellas spread out across 2 books and a collection of 9 short stories. Countless other short stories were published in the leading magazines of the 1940′s and 50′s but never collected.

Salinger’s death has been something I’ve been eagerly awaiting and excited about for years. Starting in the 1960′s he became America’s most fascinating recluse, moving to the remote town of Cornish, New Hampshire. Periodically emerging from the house for groceries and to scare off teenagers pilgrimaging to see him. The legend goes that he continued to write daily without publishing, simply because he loved the act of doing so. He was sick of dealing with critics, publishers and the general public. His daughter wrote a memoir a few years back saying that he had stacks of manuscripts ear marked for when he died to, “publish as is”, “edit before publishing” etc. I’m positive his estate will go through with this and take advantage of a tremendous cash cow.

This whole situation is fascinating to me. It’s like if the Beatles had stopped making records in 1966 with Revolver and had stopped touring, but continued to record albums and just chose not to release them. Then when John Lennon died they released Sgt. Peppers and the White Album and the rest of the catalog.

This all presents very exciting possibilities. I mourn your death J.D. Salinger, but I look forward to appreciating your work both old and new for years to come.

“I think, even, if I ever die, and they stick me in a cemetery, and I have a tombstone and all, it’ll say ‘Holden Caulfield’ on it, and then what year I was born and what year I died, and then right under that it’ll say ‘Fuck you.’ I’m positive, in fact”

-Catcher In The Rye (1951)