The classic novel “Catcher In The Rye” by JD Salinger debuted in 1951 to critical acclaim, and remains one of the best-selling novels of all time. The mundane adventures of Holden Caulfield, its teenaged protagonist, have struck a chord with readers worldwide. Perhaps a bit too much so. A new novel called “60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye” has appeared, detailing the exploits of a “Mr. C” after he escapes from his nursing home and wanders the streets of New York.
The name of the novel’s author, JD California, is another dead giveaway that this is clearly an infringement of the original work, though the publishers assert that they have every right to put the novel out.
Aaron Silverman, president of SCB Distributors, the company that is behind the distribution of the new novel, says that the book is just using a well-known character in a new setting, and likens it to social science fiction. The part he’s forgetting, of course, is that even derivative works still need to procure permission from the original author or license holder to use their characters.
I don’t expect this will last terribly long; it seems like an open-and-shut case. If the new novel were an actual parody of the original, that would be one thing, but this is clearly an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Salinger’s creation. What would Holden say? Let’s hope we never find out.
Comments
Julianne
June 3rd, 2009 - 2:42:35 PM
i know salinger has been hiding away for a few decades now, i wonder if he's aware of this book. or if he'd care to stop it or not. looks pretty worthless either way.
1