J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel
Reclusive author seeks to enjoin distribution of 'rip-off' novel
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J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel
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J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel -
J.D. Salinger Sues Over "Catcher" Sequel
JUNE 2--J.D. Salinger has filed a copyright lawsuit seeking to halt the distribution of a purported sequel to 'The Catcher in the Rye,' an unauthorized knockoff that the reclusive author calls a 'rip-off pure and simple.' Salinger, 90, is seeking a federal court order enjoining the publication of '60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye,' which is currently available in England and is scheduled to be sold in the U.S. beginning in mid-September. The book's author uses the pseudonym J.D. California, while the elderly Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of 'The Catcher in the Rye,' is referred to as 'Mr. C.' and is said to live in a retirement home in upstate New York. In a complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Salinger notes that he has never permitted any adaptations of his work and has turned away Hollywood figures such as Harvey Weinstein and Steven Spielberg who have sought to 'make a film version of 'The Catcher in the Rye.'' And while Salinger lives a cloistered life in Cornish, New Hampshire, he appears keenly aware of the continuing commercial appeal of his signature novel, which was published 58 years ago. His lawsuit, an excerpt of which you'll find here, reports that, 'As of May 27, 2009...'The Catcher in the Rye' currently sells more copies on Amazon.com' than the first Harry Potter book, 'The DaVinci Code,' 'Of Mice and Men,' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' His book, Salinger notes, 'has taken on a specific place in American culture and is the benchmark against which any coming-of-age story is measured.' (9 pages)
