Jerome David Salinger dies and leaves us wondering.

J.D.Salinger died yesterday.That is what the news said.In my desire to read classics which are part of high school studies in America i had started reading it in last month and had read it with difficulty and amazement how some books become classics.

Novella "The catcher in the rye" about 200 pages and by extrapolation 80000 words which sold 60 million copies is the work Salinger is known for .At 91 he has not published much in last sixty years.some of his critics have found his writing as ramblings.I wonder that may all writing is rambling.

The book i have is dedicated to his mother.I have my notes which say i read it on January 8 2010(Bush 1/8/10).
CRANSTON.H.S.EAST
#345123 OTHER ENTRIES ARE

SarahThornhill
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Bush 1/8/10

I also noted that i have a little rambling piece scribbled on page 3(inside cover) titled (Prosecution of Mr Antonilli oh no Antolini a Pedophile)

I was also wondering why he refused to publish for most of last 50 or so years even when his book was selling at least 250000 copies every year.His book even had quite a bit of notoriety for being banned by many schools for use of words like god damn and Christ sake. Though he used six or so times F bomb.His language would be quite mild in comparison to lyrics or lack of them in some popular music.

I think Salinger felt that as most of the writing was sort of biographical,he did not want to loose the anonymity by publishing his works.May be he was afraid of the failure and may no success could surpass his success with "catcher".

He left a clue in the last sentence of "catcher" which is

"Don't ever tell anybody anything.If you do,you start missing everybody."

I guess he figured he was not going to tell anything and in the process is going to die with his thoughts and is not going to miss anybody by telling their tales.

It is sad that in his misguided views he deprived many of us joy or sorrows of his thoughts.He must have been very lonely.

By the way it was Nice to read in Wikipedia that he was influenced by Indian mysticism.It is written that he read Ramakrishna biography and was also follower of Vedant as Taught by Vivekananda the famous disciple of great master.