The Bloggers With The Most To Say
J.D. Salinger is dead. Thoughts? What artists have had an impact on your life?
I was probably inordinately shocked when I came home from work today to the news that 91-year-old J.D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, Franny & Zooey and a not-quite-handful of others had died.
I've long credited Salinger with changing my life. I read Catcher in the Rye in the ninth grade and it was the first time in my life I really made a connection with something I was reading. Admittedly, I related a lot with Holden Caufield at the time. But in the tenth grade I was forced to read Franny & Zooey as summer reading for English class and loved it so much, it changed my whole outlook on school. I started to care.
Salinger's work is what got me writing. I feel I owe him a great deal for the kind of person I am today. His influence started it all for me.
So what do you think of the man and author? And who are some of your idols, the people you look up to, the artists that inspired you to become who you are today?
Tags: J.D, Salinger, idols, inspirations, muses
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Adrienne H on -
Wow. Nice question. I have never read Catcher in the Rye but I've read Franny and Zooey and Nine Stories. They quickly became some of my favorites. I heard (on the internet) that he lived in "self-imposed seclusion." That made me sad. He was brilliant, though obviously a little tortured considering his work. I kinda wish I could give him a hug but, alas, he's gone.
-
Permalink Reply by Eric on -
I admire the man's dedication, and am jealous of the fact that he was able to live his life the way he did. That's impossible for today's authors.
I read an article today that said that unlike his contemporaries, when you read a Salinger story, you didn't think of Salinger like you would Fitzgerald or Hemingway in one of theirs. He "got out of the way," I think the article said. That hasn't completely hit home for me, but it makes me worried, as I'd like to be as out of the way as possible when it comes to my work. The nearest we have to Salinger is Pynchon, then McCarthy, both of whom have, in recent years, come out from behind the curtain. I don't read Pynchon, but I do read McCarthy, and despite his growing public persona, I don't think it's had any effect on his work as yet--at least in my view. I know others who feel differently.
-
Permalink Reply by Amber on -
I can't say that Salinger had a life-altering impact on me but I'm a big fan of his short stories on a craft level. I used to consult "Slight Rebellion off Madison" when I was writing my own short stories (trying to format my work like his and draw inspiration from his words). It's definitely tragic when anyone dies but he was 91, so you know....
There'd been some problems trying to obtain the movie rights to 'Catcher in the Rye,' I wonder if that's going to change now.
-
Permalink Reply by Allison on -
I read Catcher in the Rye, but didn't really like it because Holden seemed like the kinda guy that you just wanted to pull out of the book, smack around a few times, and then put him back in.
I'm actually more upset that Howard Zinn, author of the People's History of the United States and just a really smart guy, died on Tuesday. No one seems to know about him, which is too bad. I actually only read his memoirs (You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train - great title, right?) and a couple of his essays, but he was brilliant, had a firm grasp on politics and people, and looked a little like Albert Einstein. Check him out if you can.
-
Permalink Reply by Amy --- Just A Titch on -
JD Salinger was an author who made my teen angst feel important and understood---I'd venture to say that this is the first artist death I shed tears over. I felt understood by him. I think that's just a testament to what a great writer he was.
-
Permalink Reply by Brian E on -
I had very much the same experience. Holden Caufield seemed to speak in a voice that I had felt bubbling up inside of me, trying to get out. I remember being so shocked that a piece of homework could reach me like it did. It was the first time I realized how cool the arts were.
It probably would have happened somewhere down the road, a different artist, a different medium, something would have drawn me in, but as it happened, Salinger was it for me. Ever since and after several re-readings, Catcher and Franny & Zooey have always had a special place on my bookshelf.
-
Permalink Reply by cooper on -
I hate to say it I never cared for his work.
I love a lot of writer's, but the only people who inspired me to become what I am are people I know in real life.
Like the above commenter Zinn would affect me more directly.
-
Permalink Reply by Talia M on -
I actually never read Salinger (weirdly it never came up in high school) but maybe now's the time to pick up "Catcher in the Rye."
That said, I remember when Kurt Vonnegut died it was a strangely big deal for me. Like Salinger, he was very old, but somehow I regretted that he would never write another book.
-
Permalink Reply by Talia M on
-
"Slaughterhouse Five" is where most people start, but I actually think his shorts collection "Welcome to the Monkey House" is a great way to get a flavor for his writing without committing to a whole novel.
"God Bless You Mr. Rosewater" is probably my personal favorite.
-
Permalink Reply by Brian E on
-
Slaughterhouse is probably a must for an intro to Vonnegut. Then I'd recommend Sirens of Titan. It was my latest Vonnegut read and maybe my favorite. Also, I find Cat's Cradle is referenced semi-frequently in culture and there's some pertinence to tagging that base as well.
Really they're all good. Of all the Vonnegut fans I know, everyone seems to cite different books as their personal faves. You can really just go to a library and pick one blindly.
-
Permalink Reply by Brian E on
-
Yeah, that was a really sad day, too. His death was even relevant given that he was still writing and still in the public sphere, heck he'd been on the cover of Rolling Stone only a few months prior. He was a heck of a personality. So it goes.
It was weird that Salinger's death hit me so hard, he being 91 and not having published anything since the '60's.
Welcome to 20 Something Bloggers!
© 2012 Created by Lisa.
