Salinger

For those who haven't read or heard, J.D. Slainger, the author of "Catcher in the Rye", recently passed away. It's always sad to hear of anyone's death and let him rest in peace. I write about him because I can not stop thinking about something. For years Salinger rejected offers for the movie rights to Catcher. I am sure for lots and lots of money but none the less from what I have read he didn't want to see an interpretation of that kind. He even rejected theater producers not just Hollywood. So here we are at what I think is a major crossroads for wonderful book.

The imagintive movie that we the readers and fans of Catcher have created in our minds may be forever altered in the coming years. The rights for this project are left with his kin I would believe and what I have read is that he hoped it to be a kind of insurance policy for his ex-wife and daugther knowing that someday a motion picture adaptation would be made. The daugther apparently wrote a not so pleasant biographical account of her father at one time. Given the limited information we know, even in this limited amount of time leads me to believe that the rights will be sold and we will soon see Holden Caulfield on the big screen.

When I first read the book and was really into movies I was pro-movie adaptation but now as I have grown older and read about this story more and more, I say no. I do not want to see a movie attempt to be as good or better than this book. More than likely it will be Hollywood saturated down right bad. I don't want the Catcher movie I have shot in my own mind to become permated with someone else's interpretation. Honestly I like the romanticism and mystery of there being just the book and more importantly it is as Mr. Salinger has so wished. Though I have also read he acknowledged that this probably would have after his death but he would be grateful that he passed before having to see it.

All in all things don't last forever so one day it will happen. I guess I can only take on the same attitude as Mr. Salinger. I do have an itch to read Catcher again though because its been roughly ten years since I last read it. Lots of anniversaries so far for me this year and I would bet they are not slowing down but thats another post.