1962 paperback edition of The Catcher in the Rye
JD Salinger may be reclusive but he’s not afraid to stand up for his rights and is suing the author of an unauthorized sequel to The Catcher in the Rye. Lawyers for the 90-year-old author have called John David California’s 60 Years Late: Coming Through the Rye a “rip-off pure and simple”.
John David California, not the author’s real name – surprise, surprise, like the name John David isn’t a little suspicious – apparently is also seeking undisclosed damages says, “To me, this is a story about an old man. It’s a love story, a story about an author and his character…I did not mean to cause him [Salinger] any trouble.” Evidently, he thought that dedicating the novel to Salinger would convey that sentiment.
I’m with Salinger on this one…a writer’s book is his creation and the characters live so vividly for him that only he can truly know what direction a character’s life would take, if the existence were to be continued. If there are no sequels, that is the author’s right as the creator of the work. Not to mention that The Catcher in the Rye has become come of the most influential American novels of modern history. In this case too, Salinger has previously refused to sell filming rights, a clear indicator that he doesn’t want anyone tampering with his tale.
60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye hasn’t been released yet – it’s due to be published later this summer in the UK and in the USA later in the year.
Good! I hope Salinger wins and opts to forgo any monetary awards in favour of publicly smacking this cretin.
…that’ll be an option, right?