I could leave Catcher in the Rye- it's wonderful, but not for me- but the Glass family had me captured from the beginning. He writes them for himself- it's evident in every line. He knows them so completely. It's hard not to envelope yourself in that sort of totally enthusiastic, selfish writing. His short stories are so profoundly filled with emotion. Raise High The Roofbeams, Carpenters, is comical in a way a lot of his work isn't- sort of a wry, well-fuck-it humor runs through it. And Seymour: An Introduction is my favorite of all. It's practically stream of consciousness writing, beat in it's own way, takes a read or two to really get through, and the shortest way I can explain it is that for me, it's not of this earth.
Sorry, I fangirled out there for a second. I'll get a hold of myself. Anyway.
The promising, if somewhat crass, high note of this is that he has scores of unpublished work, earmarked to be released only after his death. Hapworth 16, 1924, I've been waiting for you for a long time.
Perhaps all my stars are out tonight. I hope his are too.
Image from the NYT.
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ReplyDeletei really dont lie it :( i heard today, and i was kinda crushed cuz i loved the cathcer in the rye so much.. i plan on reading his other novels too, because that's really one of my all-time favorite books..
ReplyDeleteI was super into Catcher in the Rye, so I was a bit sad! I loved that he was kind of elusive, too! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear Seymour... is your favorite. I love that whole series. Nine Stories too. I'm lucky enough to have the unpublished collection -it's probably my most prized possession in the world. I think I still want to marry a girl like Franny...
ReplyDeleteJon- omg, the unpublished collection? So jealous.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know. I've actually only read Catcher in the Rye, but I need to read the other ones, and I will, too. It's so weird, I read a really interesting piece on him and his life just weeks before his passing. May he rest in peace.
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