J.D. Salinger = integrity

click on image to read full letter

J.D. Salinger died just over a week ago. Check out this amazing letter where he explains why he won't sell the rights to his 1951 novel The Catcher In The Rye, (which still sells 250,000 copies a year, 60 years on) about disillusioned teen Holden Caulfield.


"The weight of the book is in the narrator's voice, the non-stop peculiarities of it, his personal, extremely discriminating attitude to his reader-listener, his asides about gasoline rainbows in street puddles... he can't legitimately be separated from his own-first person technique. True, if the separation is forcibly made, there is enough material left over for something called an exciting (or maybe just interesting) evening in the theater. But I find that idea, if not odious, at least odious enough to stop me from selling the rights."

Makes me want to read the novel again. The letter is on sale for a mere $54,000 over at www.momentsintime.com

Jerome David Salinger
Jan 1, 1919 – Jan 27, 2010
R.I.P

Everything's better with Zombies!

"Mr. Bennet went about his morning business of dagger sharpening and musket polishing - for attacks by the unmentionables had grown alarmingly frequent in recent weeks. "

I admit: I've never read Pride and Prejudice - no surprises there. But I did watch about 10 minutes of the film with Colin Firth (yuck) once by accident so I know what's going on. Also, I've seen Clueless. It's a classic tale of class divide, love, pride and eh... prejudice, right? Imagine how much better that would be with zombies? Yes, I ask that about many things and I know ( now ) in real life zombies would probably be a bad thing. But here is concrete example of their appeal: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - a world-renowned piece of boring ol' literature made accessible and interesting by the addition of HORDES OF THE UNDEAD.

I haven't read it yet - it's on its way - but I really hope a zombie falls in love. They're people too you know.

You can buy the book on amazon here.

P.S The day after posting this I was kindly informed by a much more learned friend of mine, Matt, that the movie Clueless is in fact based on Jane Austen's novel Emma, not Pride and Prejudice. Boy, is my face red! I shall now attempt to mask my shame by suggesting that perhaps the movie Clueless is another example where the addition of a few rogue zombies might have drastically improved viewing pleasure. Am I right?! I'm right, amn't I? In your face, Matt!