R.I.P. J.D. Salinger
By
Author and famous recluse J.D. Salinger has died, at the age of 91. Works such as The Catcher in the Rye, Nine Stories, and Franny and Zooey have become classics of American literature, and are staples in many a high school and college reading list. Fans of The Report will also know that Stephen has long thought of Salinger as the ultimate “get” for an interview on the show. While “Stephen” challenged Salinger with bluster and threats, I suspect the real Stephen would have been humbled and happy at the chance to meet him. So in tribute to the man and his works, here are a few clips:
Daily/Colbert Toss: Stephen’s going to have J.D. Salinger on the show. Well, not really.
Salinger Watch: Stephen will rip out a new story from Nine Stories every day until J.D. Salinger comes on the show.
Raise High the Rage Beams: If J.D. Salinger doesn’t come on the show, Stephen will publish Salinger rip-offs under his own pseudonym, J.D. Stephenger.
Related posts
8 Comments
January 28th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Sad news. I’ve always been a big fan of Catcher in the Rye. He had a good long life. I hope it was a happy one — seems like humanity was a great big disappointment to Salinger, and I’m sorry for that, if not empathetic.
PS: Hee, I had forgotten about “J.D. Stephenger.”
Reply
January 28th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Thank you for posting this, wren. I saw the news a bit earlier and was saddened by his passing. Mr. Salinger was one of the first authors that truly made me question what I was reading in a personal way, and not just for a class. His works opened up a whole new way of looking at literature.
Admittedly, my second thought after “that’s sad” was “Oh darn, now ‘Stephen’ will never succeed in securing the ultimate ‘get’!”
R.I.P., Sir.
Reply
January 28th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I was quite upset when I heard the news. “The Catcher in the Rye” was one of the few books from high school that made a lasting impression on me.
Thanks for the clips!
Reply
January 28th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Rough couple of days, between yesterday’s loss of Howard Zinn and today’s announcement on JD Salinger. :(
I wonder if Stephen now regrets ‘postponing’ his interview with Mr. Salinger (and Nelson Mandela) for the “ShredDown” back in 2006.
Reply
January 28th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Well now I have to bust out some Salinger and reread them. Rest in peace sir.
Reply
January 28th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Oh, that’s a shame! It would have been fun to get him on the show. RIP, Mr. Salinger.
Reply
January 29th, 2010 at 5:25 am
RIP. Thank you for changing my life.
Reply
January 30th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
NPR aired a story about a man who met Salinger, I heard it Friday morning, though it originally aired about 3 years ago. It’s pretty interesting, I think. Here’s a link to the broadcast: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123080309
Reply