ἴψοι δὴ τὸ μέλαθρον ἀέρρετε τέκτονες ἄνδρες

[sovay]

So. J.D. Salinger. He was not one of my early imprints; he was not a favorite of mine in college; he was a piece of the landscape and I'm sorry he's gone, although anyone has an excuse at ninety-one. The timing was appropriate, in a hindsight-only way—a panel Eric moderated at Arisia left me wanting to re-read the Glass family stories, which were my introduction to Salinger rather than The Catcher in the Rye, although like everyone else in this country I read the novel in ninth or tenth grade. (He was not my first encounter with profanity in fiction, either. That was Ursula K. Le Guin.) I liked the titles he gave his stories, like paintings. The Onion had the best last word, so what I've got is songs.

Belle & Sebastian, "Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie"

Wouldn't you like to get away?
Give yourself up to the allure of Catcher in the Rye?

PJ Harvey, "Angelene"

Rose is my color and white
Pretty mouth and green my eyes

PJ Harvey, "A Perfect Day, Elise"

He got burned by the sun
His face so pale and his hands so worn

Amanda Palmer, "1.1.94"

There is still time—we could still try
It's very difficult when no one's there to catch you in the rye

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

For some reason the song I think of to go with Catcher in the Rye (which, actually, I didn't like, but I like the image of the catcher in the rye) is Sting's "Fields of Gold,", which is about barley, not rye....

[kraada.livejournal.com]

although like everyone else in this country I read the novel in ninth or tenth grade

I've never read it - it's vaguely possible we missed it in 8th grade English that we skipped, though I suspect more likely is that I'm actually from another planet . . .

Don't be scared of the books you read...

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite Belle & Sebastian songs. I have been off them for a long time, but it might be high time to revisit them.

Salinger was one of those guys; he is in a whole lot of people since him who write, if just a little. I got him through other places (I didn't read the book in question until rather shockingly late in life. I dodged it in high school, somehow) but I got him, anyway. I'm kind of upset to note nihilistic_kid's observation that a lot of SF writers have been kind of beastly to him. That's unfortunate.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

although like everyone else in this country I read the novel in ninth or tenth grade

I never had it assigned at school, actually. I tried to read it a few years back, and got so irritated with Holden Caulfield that I couldn't finish it.

I think I maybe should have read the Glass family stories instead--a couple of my friends have said they're better than The Catcher in the Rye.