Illustration of J. D. Salinger by Robert Vickrey used for the cover of Time magazine, 1961
PLEASE NOTE: This program has a rescheduled date (originally Monday, January 7, 2019).
"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it." —Holden Caufield, Catcher in the Rye
New York City born author J.D. Salinger hoped to drop from public view, his extraordinary seclusion was a massive failure. On the centenary of his birth, Salinger's life and legacy has fed a public fascination with the acclaimed writer that equals the fervor over his most famous novel, Catcher in the Rye, and its protagonist Holden Caulfield.
Before writing Catcher he was already a beloved storyteller touching lives with stories such as A Perfect Day for Bananafish and Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut. Popular later novels include Franny and Zooey, and Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters. As the writer Harold Brodkey observed, “His is the most influential body of work in English prose by anyone since Hemingway.”
Join us for an evening of love and squalor as author Daniel Stashower explores Salinger’s life and legacy and actor Scott Sedar reads a selection of his most celebrated works. A reception follows the program.
