J.D. Salinger, We Hardly Knew You

Last month one of my favorite authors, J.D. Salinger, passed away at the age of 91. He was an excellent writer and an enigmatic, mysterious person. His first novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was written in 1951, the year I was born. Like millions of other teenagers, I read The Catcher in the Rye, and identified with it. I remember so clearly when I read it I was 13, and I thought, here is a guy who knows what it's like to be a teenager. The world as seen through Holden Caulfield's eyes. Somehow, Salinger was able to really nail the way a teenager thinks, if you know what I mean. Salinger only wrote one other noteworthy short novel, Franny and Zooey, about a brother and a sister from a quirky family, and all that stuff. Both books are really hilarious to read, and sometimes even corny. Salinger also published a few witty short stories for the New Yorker magazine over the years. After writing his novels, he kind of disappeared and all. He was a recluse who was seldom seen in public and never granted interviews after the 1960s. He apparently didn't like the fame and notoriety that went along with being a famous author. He called those people phonies. My hope is that when they go through the house where he lived and died alone, they will find some book manuscripts to publish after his death. Knowing him, though, he probably left instructions that the manuscripts were never to be published. If you have never read Salinger's novels, I encourage you to read them. I have re-read both books since I learned of his passing, and I enjoyed them even more now than I did forty-plus years ago. They still appeal to my "inner" teenager. No kidding. They really do.