An idolized writer’s death has stirred something in me. Or so seems to be always the case for every budding writer. The report of his death gives me a nice jolt, with a passing impulse that makes me pick up my pencils from everywhere in the apartment, sharpens them, picks the notebook that I just bought the other day, and commences to write.
Every scribbler by now must have paid their respects to the singularly reclusive and a great writer, J. D. Salinger, who died some hours ago. He is 91.
And for an aspiring writer like me, a line or a whole post would just be an apt tribute to the man who penned down beautifully the disenchantment and rebelliousness of youth, in the Catcher In The Rye, which I’d read twice. First when I was 19, and the second time was two years ago.
After writing that last sentence above, I paused a moment to continue my reading on the other reports from Time Magazine, New York Times, and other top websites that cover the death of J. D. Salinger. When satisfied, I went to my room and searched the four volumes of his works amidst piles of books. I succeeded to find the three: his sole novel already mentioned (Catcher In The Rye), Nine Stories, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour: An Introduction. I was a little chagrin when I recall that Franny And Zooey, lent to Paula, a former officemate, was still not returned, along with my two other books: Love In The Time Of Cholera, and Beloved by Toni Morisson.
Anyway, the great American Dostoevsky is now dead and this post is dedicated to him. His life has been a legacy to the literary world. His singular reclusiveness adds more colors and mystique to his writing life. And his death would also mean the unraveling of the mystery surrounding his life, which can hopefully provide us the answers to the big questions: Did he leave us another masterpiece or two? Does he still have more new great things to say to us? Did Holden Caulfield grow up in his other unpublished works? And other such questions. Life would be far more interesting if the answers are in the affirmative especially on the first and second questions.
So that’s that. I’ll probably reread A Perfect Day For Bananafish, and For Esme – With Love And Squalor. Meanwhile, got to go now and file some works. Man, I got some SEO articles to write. A man has to earn his living. Till later then.
Posts
Nice piece, Jonas. You are young, talented and, as you put it, aspiring. I'm also aspiring but definitely not young. I'm struggling to become known as a writer, though I am old with a book that nobody - except for some friends - cares to read. That's what the sales records of Outskirts Press, my publisher, say so far. If I may advertise my book, The Gypsy Soul and Other Essays, it is on sale at amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. If you would care to take a look, you can read the synopsis and my bio at amazon.com's website by clicking the image of the book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I love reading, but as you say, writers have to earn their living too. Too bad we cannot read all the books that we want to read, too bad that our time has made us a hurried and harried man
Casiano P. Mayor Jr.
Nice piece, Jonas. You are young, talented and, as you put it, aspiring. I'm also aspiring but definitely not young. I'm struggling to become known as a writer, though I am old with a book that nobody - except for some friends - cares to read. That's what the sales records of Outskirts Press, my publisher, say so far. If I may advertise my book, The Gypsy Soul and Other Essays, it is on sale at amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. If you would care to take a look, you can read the synopsis and my bio at amazon.com's website by clicking the image of the book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I love reading, but as you say, writers have to earn their living too. Too bad we cannot read all the books that we want to read, too bad that our time has made us a hurried and harried man
Hello there, Sir Casiano!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your generous comment above. Glad to know that you've already published. I've found your book in amazon, read the synopsis, and wish to have the money to buy it. Mmmmm. Well, thanks again for visiting these parts.
Jonas, I realy hope you can have the money to buy the book and make a review of it on amason. A friend of mine, Mar-vic Cagurangan who is editing the Marainas Daily in Guam has made a review of my book at amazon. I need more reviews so that more people will take notice of the book. I will assure you that you will not be disappointed with it, especially because you literarilly inclined.
ReplyDeleteMake another posting so we could read you.