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Holden Caulfield's Day In Court
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 17, 2009
Modified Jun 17, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 17, 2009
Modified Jun 17, 2009
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The 33-year-old author using the pen name J. D. California, who penned a sequel of sorts to the classic Catcher in the Rye, should have known that J.D. Salinger doesn't take too kindly to phony folk. California's book is described as “An Unauthorized Fictional Examination of the Relationship Between J. D. Salinger and his Most Famous Character,” and prior to its U.S. release it has landed in the courtroom. Unsurprising, since Salinger has even kept the likes of Steven Spielberg from touching his characters. While he hasn't published a new work since 1965, he's done a good job at preserving his old ones (often through lawsuits like this one).
The NY Times looks at the similarities between the books—with California's featuring a 76-year-old named Mr. C, the creation of a writer named Mr. Salinger. Both are set in New York and feature similar language, and "Mr. Salinger’s work opens with the 16-year-old Holden’s departure from a boarding school; the new book begins with 'Mr. C' leaving a retirement home." Spoiler! Both end on a carousel in Central Park.
The copyright infringement complaint was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, and enters court today, but don't expect to see the hermetic author riding the subways. His lawyer, Marcia Paul, declined to even comment on the case and noted her client’s private nature. However, court documents filed shed some light on the current state of the author, who is now 90, and "totally deaf, with 'several age-related health problems,' including a recently broken hip that has put him in a rehabilitation facility."
UPDATE: As of this afternoon, the judge is reportedly "troubled" by the similarities in the books, and it "cannot be published in the United States for 10 days while she weighs" the case.
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Cather in the Rye
copyright
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holden caulfield
JD California
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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