J. D. Salinger_ A Life - Kenneth Slawenski [227]
Salinger had remarked that he was in this world but not of it. His body is gone but the family hopes that he is still with those he loves, whether they are religious or historical figures, personal friends or fictional characters.
That Salinger had been in the world but was no longer part of it had been obvious for decades. The reference was a biblical one and might have seemed pompous pronounced by any other writer; but for Salinger the identification was natural. It was plainly truth, and no one questioned that it had been uttered without ego. The statement provided by Salinger’s family was an affirmation. In expressing their belief that he had united with those that he loved, they echoed religious convictions that Salinger had long conveyed through his writings. By equating the characters of his fiction with the souls of past friends, of religious and historical figures he had longed to know, the lines conjured up rich images worthy of Salinger himself.
In the wake of Salinger’s passing, the world paused in a rare manner. Despite his age and self-imposed exile, society appeared stunned by the loss. The media tendered an eruption of tributes and recognitions perhaps not extended to an author since the death of Ernest Hemingway fifty years before. Even John Updike, whose death had occurred exactly a year before (to the day), had been granted but a distracted farewell. As with most writers, the media considered Updike’s death to be a literary event, but Salinger had become part of American culture, a near-mystical figure through the allure of his tenacious reclusion, while still managing to touch the lives of everyday people through the character of Holden Caulfield and The Catcher in the Rye.
J. D. Salinger was unique, and many found his noble opposition comforting. Others were soothed by the simple knowledge that though most remnants of their youth had long vanished, J. D. Salinger remained. With his death, there was an immediate awareness that the world might never again see his singular mix of qualities, that a kind of terrible extinction had occurred.
The Internet exploded with the news. Within a few hours of the announcement, thousands of blogs and websites had posted tributes. Numerous authors and publishers, from Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates to the staff of The New Yorker and Little, Brown, tendered testimonials of Salinger’s influence. Lillian Ross, the longtime partner of William Shawn and the mother of Salinger’s godson, broke years of silence to recount his virtues as a personal friend. She also shared a series of photographs taken of Salinger with her son, Erik, as a toddler—author and child playing and laughing together in magical scenes evocative of so many Salinger stories.
Television networks ran long presentations chronicling the author’s life as best they could with little information, concentrating on the enduring impact of The Catcher in the Rye. Public television presented arrays of scholars to contemplate the longevity of Salinger’s public appeal and to analyze his legacy. The subject appeared to cross borders. Salinger was as popular a topic on tabloid news programs as on scholarly broadcasts.
Salinger’s death was front-page news in every American newspaper and most throughout the world. The New York Times delivered a lengthy tribute despite having petitioned against him in court the year before. For the first time in recent memory, the newspaper featured a black-and-white photo on its cover, a 1961 snapshot of Salinger and William Maxwell few had ever seen. In addition to the cover article announcing the author’s passing, the Times’s two-page spread evoked genuine grief for the loss of a favorite son. The Times was not alone. Its expansive coverage of what was now clearly perceived as a national loss was typical of newspapers throughout America and the world.
Unfortunately, the sudden burst of Salinger mania also lent itself to repeats of bizarre tales and misinformation. It was