With Love and Squalor 13 Writers Respond to the Work of J.D. Salinger

ReadingTheCatcher in the Ryehas become a rite of passage for young Americans, landing the book on bestseller lists (and banned book lists) each year, even though it was published a half century ago. What is it about J. D. Salinger and his body of work that has left such a lasting mark on American fiction? And who better to answer that question than the current generation of writers? Here are fourteen of the most vital voices in the contemporary American fiction scene pulling no punches in response to a writer who continues to beguile, charm, fascinate, and frustrate generations of readers. Contributors Walter Kirn, Ren? Steinke, Charles D'Ambrosio, Emma Forrest, Aleksander Hemon, Lucinda Rosenfeld, Amy Sohn, John McNally, Karen E. Bender, Thomas Beller, Benjamin Anastas, Aimee Bender, Joel Stein, and Jane Mendelsohn turn themselves inside out as they discuss their personal reactions to reading Salinger classicsnot onlyThe Catcher in the Ryebut alsoFranny and Zooey, Raise High the Roofbeams,Carpenters, and the short storiesand explore, with begrudging gratitude, how Salinger helped to form the deepest reaches of their literary imaginations. From the Trade Paperback edition.

<b>KIP KOTZEN</b> is a literary agent who divides his time between Los Angeles and New York. <b>THOMAS BELLER</b> is the author of two works of fiction (<i>Seduction Theory</i>, stories; <i>The Sleep-Over Artist</i>, a novel) and a founding editor of<i> Open City </i>magazine and mrbellersneighborhood.com. His work has appeared in<i> The Best American Short Stories</i> and <i>The New Yorker</i>, and he is a contributing editor to <i>The Cambodia Daily</i>.