James Jones. I haven’t read this book, but the post really threw me. 
If you haven’t read Joyce’s From Here to Eternity you’ve missed the oustanding literary sensation of the century, yes and your heart will be going like mad and yes I said yes you will Yes.
They’re selling way more of the bestselling books, but I think they’re also selling somewhat more of the higher-brow books. The main thing is that most books really aren’t supposed to be or expected to be bestsellers, those few that are help keep the industry afloat and make it possible to publish literary fare. I don’t really get upset about the quality of bestsellers because who knows where I’d be if Random House wasn’t making hand-over-fist dollars from a few low brow bestsellers. Also, despite all the despair about how few people read and/or buy books, I think people who don’t read much are the ones who are buying up the Browns and Pattersons. It’s not like they’d be reading Proust if there was not Patterson. They wouldn’t read at all.
And yes, I do know there’s not a thick black line that marks the difference between “good book” and “bad book.” As a children’s book writer, I would put Rowling among the best of her era, in addition to being the bestselling of her era. Before she was big bidness, she had nothing but critical accolades. Her later books dropped off a bit in editing-phase quality and there was also backlash to where now she’s easily dismissed as another bestseller/hack, but I think she’s better than that description. A lot better.
Damn, ya beat me to it.
The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books ever. I think it’s hysterical, for exactly the reasons Equipoise articulated. I also do find it personally meaningful, because it’s about a kid coming to terms with all that isn’t right with the world. We all have to do that at some point. I love the whole universe, all the characters, and Holden’s smart-ass observations. If he were alive today, he’d be wearing this shirt.
I like Salinger’s other stuff too, so I do hope he’s got some good shit hidden away in his vault somewhere.
I love Esme and Laughing Man and several more of the 9 stories. Banana Fish annoyed me (the ending felt… phoney.)
And I’d like to plug *Raise High the Roof Beams: *
A woman is stood up at the alter. After the non-wedding, the brother of the absent groom is in a limo with several guests, including the maid of honor (I think) and limo is stuck in traffic. The other riders don’t know who he is, and are lambasting his brother… who did, indeed, commit an abominable social sin. The narrator knows his brother’s faults but also believes his brother is possibly the finest person in the world.
It’s an emotionally loaded setup, and Salinger steps through it with perfect grace and good humor.
So it’s not only me. Everybody’s been praising it the last few days as their favorite, and I felt like the ending was something you’d see in a writing class.
It ends with a suicide. I hate suicide endings. They feel cheap to me.
Ah, but Bananafish is the beginning of the story of the Glass family, so think of the ending as the end of Chapter 1…
Got it. Maybe one day I’ll read all that stuff again. I read bits and pieces of it way back when, but the only ones I remember with any clarity are Nine Stories and Catcher. Also some of his Buffy fan fic, which he just emailed to me privately.
His Angel fan fic was total shit, BTW.
My memory is that Buddy Glass renounces Bananafish in a later novelette. He bemoans his inadequacy as a writer and makes the point that
Seymour killed himself because he was just too overwhelmed with joy and wonderment to continue with life.
…and I’ll firmly contend that one can’t get that interpretation out of Bananafish as written.
And, my interpretation is that Salinger as Buddy Glass is saying that Bananafish doesn’t really fit with the later written adventures of Seymour Glass.
I also think that the spoilered story line would have made a better story. Probably.
I thought Salinger was a Joo?
If there’s some humor to be had in spelling it like a LOL cat, it eludes me.
I was under the impression that Salinger was of the Hebraic persuasion.
That wouldn’t stop Cameron from making a 3D version of it. The na’vi can be the children, the field of rye can be the tree of souls, and Sully can fly them to safety on his giant bird.
I believe it’s a South Park reference.
Stop pretending to care whether toilet seats like your hairy ass.
Somebody gave me Catcher when I was a Junior in college. I got about as far as the pimp thumping him in the balls. I hated Holden. A self absorbed misanthropic asshole. I got enough of that living alone.
Oh man, that would be so awesome. Even awesomer would be if they also uncovered a trove of Star Trek/Holden Caulfield crossover slash-fiction.