RIP JD Salinger

2010-01-28 · John · watch on YouTube · Books & writing · news analysis

On J. D. Salinger's death, John briefly leaves paternity leave to read Holden's 'catcher in the rye' speech to Phoebe from The Catcher in the Rye, then answers Holden: it wasn't crazy, and that is what Salinger was for millions of readers.

What is said

00:00:00 — Reading from The Catcher in the Rye: Holden and Phoebe on 'If a body catch a body' and the field of rye

• ★★★ John reads, in tribute to Salinger, the passage of The Catcher in the Rye where Holden tells Phoebe what he would like to be: the catcher in the rye. — 00:00:00
• ★★ In the passage, Holden pictures thousands of little kids playing in a field of rye by a cliff, with him catching anyone about to go over. (fiction) — 00:00:00
• ★★★ The description says Salinger died today at the age of 91. — 00:00:00
• ★★★ In the description John says that, like all novelists who write about teenagers, he owes Salinger an immense debt, for Holden Caulfield and for the portraits of the Glass family. — 00:00:00
• ★★ Having made the video, John says in the description that he immediately returns to paternity leave. — 00:00:00
• ★ John thanks viewers for their kind wishes for young a child of the brothers, 'who is made of awesome'. — 00:00:00 · made of awesome

00:00:33 — Reading ends ('I'd just be the catcher in the rye'); John's tribute: it wasn't crazy, that's what you were for millions of us; rest in peace

• ★★★ John answers Holden's 'I know it's crazy': it wasn't crazy, and that is what 'you' were for millions of us; he thanks him and says rest in peace. — 00:00:33

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