Remembering J. D. Salinger (1919-2010)

With the death of author J.D. Salinger, best known for his landmark novel "The Catcher in the Rye," a number of great tributes have been surfacing on the web, including a touching one from my Moviezzz on his blog http://www.moviezzz.blogspot.com

There have also been a number of interesting stories about the reclusive author who lived in Cornish, NH.

One of those was written by "Washington Post" reporter Ian Shapira in today's online edition of the newspaper. Shapira reported that George Mason University (Fairfax, Va.) professor of English Roger Lathbury decided on a lark to contact Salinger about the unlikely possibility of publishing Salinger's short story "Hapworth 16, 1924" from his small publishing outfit in Alexandria, Va.

Amazingly enough, Salinger wrote back! And, the author said: "I'll think about it."

The rest of the story sounds a bit like the 1980 film "Melvin and Howard" about an ordinary man who becomes friends with Howard Hughes (also a recluse).

Salinger contacted Lathbury again in 1996 and for a short while gave the green light. This lead to the two meeting in secret at the cafteria of the National Gallery Art Museum in Washington, DC, but ultimately word of Lathbury's aims got leaked and Salinger changed his mind. The two ended up not speaking to each other again.

I read another Salinger encounter of sorts in "Interview" magazine in which actress Winona Ryder, a devout Salinger fan (like film director Wes Anderson), sent back Salinger's autograph which her ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp gave her while they were dating. Ryder felt that she was violating the author's privacy by owning the highly covted autograph. Salinger wrote back and simply said: "Thank you"