Re: Sour Grapes

J. Ackerman — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:35:13 GMT

I don't see much disparaging of Salinger here. I see plenty of disparaging Catcher and wondering why it's a must-read.

The Salinger short stories are unquestionably brilliant. We can wonder why there were so few of them, but then that's part of the game. Some writers don't have that much in them. Some had to write because they had the grocer and the kids sitting on their shoulders. And some wrote too much. In all of Hemingway there were the three good books and the few short stories, and pages and pages of trash. Thomas Hardy wrote 750 pages of verse, most of it awful. About 25 poems, however, are among the best ever written in English. Juan Rulfo, a Mexican tire salesman, wrote ten short stories and one novel, all of them masterpieces and instrumental in the history of Latin American fiction. And Salinger never faltered on a single short story.

Catcher? Well...I got my reservations. I don't see it. Who knows? I've been wrong before. I don't see any need to get my nose out of joint over it.

Sour Grapes

trevon_ruger — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:12:34 GMT

To those of you who insist on disparaging Salinger’s work (i.e., most of you posting comments), I call shenanigans: The fact that you feel compelled to read and respond to this article belies your attempts to convince us of Salinger’s irrelevance. Perhaps you too will one day write something that connects with millions of readers, transcends generations, inspires ongoing scholarship, and enters the American literary canon. Until then…

The Spectator

Re: Sour Grapes

Sour Grapes