J. D. Salinger will be 90-years-old on January 1, 2009. The Catcher in the Rye was first published in 1951. Salinger’s reclusiveness has become as legendary as his literary
contributions. He seriously defends his privacy – with a high fence, occasionally with a shotgun, and persistently through legal means. A curmudgeonly, misanthrope if I ever heard of one.
Through the years there have been volumes written hashing and rehashing the whys of Salinger’s solitude. Much of the dialog reflects a subtle anger over his refusal to publish his recent work; his unavailability for interviews; his disapproval of biographies; and his love of youth, in particular beautiful young women. I say leave him alone. His rejection of the limelight is obviously not a passing fancy.
His addition to my Most Memorable Hermits list is meant as a tribute. (I hope he wouldn’t consider it an insult.) He’s been a great writer, and he’s great at being a hermit. I get it, J.D.
