J. D. Salinger, the American author who wrote "The Catcher in the Rye" in 1951, died Jan. 27, at his home in Cornish, N. H.
Born in 1919, Jerome David Salinger tried to publish many of his short stories in magazines, but only one was accepted before World War II.
Salinger served with the Army during several major conflicts in Europe with a regiment that liberated a concentration camp, affecting him deeply.
After service, Salinger published "The Catcher in the Rye" in 1951, which instantly became a success. Notoriety followed as many youths connected to the novel about a young man mad at the world.
"There was something racy about the book, and we were just curious as to what that could be," said Diane Ballentine, Auburn Public Library employee.
Ballentine, a student herself at the time Catcher was being debated, said the times were more conservative and many institutions either banned the novel or taught it.
"You didn't have girls having sex before they were married, of course they did anyway, but you weren't supposed to talk about it," Ballentine said referencing Salinger's sex references in the book.
As "The Catcher in the Rye's" popularity waned and Salinger pushed himself out of the public eye, the book's cult following soon began devouring his earlier short stories and novellas.
The most famous of the novellas are "Franny and Zooey," "Raise High the Roof Beam" and "Nine Stories," a collection of nine short stories, including "A Perfect Day for Bananafish."
The subjects of these stories were beloved by Salinger as he often wrote them from his personal experiences.
The question many Salinger devotees are asking is, "What did he leave behind?" Along with his legacy of published works, fans are after the rumored unpublished works (ranging from somewhere between 15 novels and numerous unpublished short stories).
"The Salinger estate could certainly publish them at any time, but this seems unlikely," writes Stephan Foskett, editor of the Salinger fan page, salinger.org.
Foskett takes a different approach to the frenzy following the rumor of unpublished material.
"I urge readers to focus on the works of fiction left behind," Foskett said on the Web site.
It appears that they are.
Sara Barnett, barista at The Gnu's Room, said any books by Salinger are selling out as soon as they come in.
The future remains uncertain as to what history will say of J.D. Salinger because people still aren't quite sure where to place him.
Maybe that's just how J.D. Salinger wanted to end it: Wanting his readers to remember him as he was through his characters he left behind; fighting to keep those characters from being marred by others because he didn't want his readers seeing them as malleable characters only, but as parts of J.D. Salinger himself, and if people don't get him, that's just how it will be.
So that is how J.D. Salinger should be remembered: as a Bananafish, as Seymour Glass, as Franny and Zooey, as The Laughing Man, and especially as Holden Caulfield.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
