With Love and Squalor 13 Writers Respond to the Work of J.D. Salinger

by Kotzen, Kip; Beller, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780767907996
• ISBN10: 076790799X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-16
• Publisher: Crown

Summary

ReadingTheCatcher in the Ryehas become a rite of passage for young Americans, landing the book on bestseller lists (and banned book lists) each year, even though it was published a half century ago. What is it about J. D. Salinger and his body of work that has left such a lasting mark on American fiction? And who better to answer that question than the current generation of writers? Here are fourteen of the most vital voices in the contemporary American fiction scene pulling no punches in response to a writer who continues to beguile, charm, fascinate, and frustrate generations of readers. Contributors Walter Kirn, Ren? Steinke, Charles D'Ambrosio, Emma Forrest, Aleksander Hemon, Lucinda Rosenfeld, Amy Sohn, John McNally, Karen E. Bender, Thomas Beller, Benjamin Anastas, Aimee Bender, Joel Stein, and Jane Mendelsohn turn themselves inside out as they discuss their personal reactions to reading Salinger classicsnot onlyThe Catcher in the Ryebut alsoFranny and Zooey, Raise High the Roofbeams,Carpenters, and the short storiesand explore, with begrudging gratitude, how Salinger helped to form the deepest reaches of their literary imaginations. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Author Biography

<b>KIP KOTZEN</b> is a literary agent who divides his time between Los Angeles and New York. <b>THOMAS BELLER</b> is the author of two works of fiction (<i>Seduction Theory</i>, stories; <i>The Sleep-Over Artist</i>, a novel) and a founding editor of<i> Open City </i>magazine and mrbellersneighborhood.com. His work has appeared in<i> The Best American Short Stories</i> and <i>The New Yorker</i>, and he is a contributing editor to <i>The Cambodia Daily</i>.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(5)
Good-bye, Holden Caulfield. I Mean It. Go! Good-bye!	6	(9)
Walter Kirn
The Peppy Girls of Friendswood, Texas	15	(12)
Rene Steinke
Salinger and Sobs	27	(28)
Charles D'Ambrosio
Salinger's Daughter: Whining Bitch (Or ``How I Became the Voice of Youth'')	55	(7)
Emma Forrest
The Importance of Wax and 0lives	62	(16)
Aleksander Hemon
The Trouble with Franny	78	(10)
Lucinda Rosenfeld
Franny and Amy	88	(16)
Amy Sohn
The Boy That Had Created the Disturbance Reflections on Minor Characters in Life and The Catcher in the Rye	104	(13)
John McNally
Normal People	117	(13)
Karen E. Bender
The Salinger Weather	130	(20)
Thomas Beller
An Unexamined Life	150	(12)
Benjamin Anastas
Holden Schmolden	162	(8)
Aimee Bender
The Yips	170	(7)
Joel Stein
Holden Caulfield: A Love Story	177	(10)
Jane Mendelsohn
Contributors' Notes	187	(6)
Bibliography	193