If I can get serious for a moment, and cast aside the brittle, smartassed, persona that the social networking aspect of goodreads tends to bring out, I'd like to try to express what it is that drives me in this life. It is the following belief, instilled primarily by my mother, an exceptionally smart woman who never suffered fools gladly, but had the mitigating grace to be one of the warmest, most generous women you could ever hope to meet, as well as having one of the greatest voices you can imagine  (Buttercup)  

Here's the main thing she taught me: each of us has an inescapable responsibility to take whatever talent we have been given on this earth, and to develop it as far and as well as life allows.

This is so deeply ingrained in my beliefs that I can pretty much trace every major decision I've made in my life back to it.

What does this have to do with the price of eggs? Well, it's the reason Jerome David Salinger makes me as mad as all get out. Because I can certainly understand why, given the perfection of the stories in this collection, any writer might not want to risk spoiling his reputation by following up with work that might not reach the same level. Hell, nothing could possibly reach the perfection of the stories, "For Esme - with Love and Squalor", "The Laughing Man", "Down by the Dinghy", or "Just Before the War with the Eskimos". And while I'm not really a great fan of Seymour Glass, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is pretty damned awesome as well.

So, yeah, J.D. - after those stories, it's hard to imagine anything better. Even anything comparable.

But that's still no excuse for not trying, you arrogant egotistical bastard. You were dealt a monumental, unimaginable, talent. And for you to squat there in-fucking-communicado in your bloody bunker in New England, resting on your admittedly golden freaking laurels, is an act of unconscionable, unpardonable, selfishness. I could almost convince myself that your genius crossing over into madness was the explanation for your lack of output, but you seem craftily able to sic your lawyers on anyone perceived to encroach on your goddamned "privacy".

So, while I can understand the impulse of not wanting to risk your reputation, I sure as hell can't forgive it. You were granted an incredible gift. You should be using it.

And, sorry folks, it's far beyond me to locate exactly where the genius lies in the particular stories mentioned. You really just need to read them for yourselves.

Having been put off reading ‘A Catcher in the Rye’, I thought this was a good way to sample J.D. Salinger, and what a thoroughly satisfying collection of short stories to ruminate and reflect on. To appraise, commend, and to even reason with. A book where all the characters and their stories felt real – too real which makes this collection all the more unforgettable.

A truly sobering read but a triumph of a book for its exploration of the flawed human mind portrayed alongside real and powerful themes, accompanied by some superb characters to deliver many hard-hitting, important, but also simple messages.

In each of the nine stories, no emotion is spared, no sentiment is over or under stated, as the trials and tribulations of life are laid bare in simple texts with some strong and poignant themes running through all of them.

My favourites are 'For Esmé - with Love and Squalor', the story the book takes its title from. The most disturbing was the first story – 'A Perfect Day for Bananafish' which left me a little shocked at the ending. Also wonderful are ‘Down at the Dinghy’ about a mother trying to coach her son in dealing with fear, and ‘Teddy’ which explores multiple encounters onboard a luxury liner. All superbly written.

My least favourite was ‘The Laughing Man’ and ‘Just before the war with Eskimos’, mainly because the ending felt flat in both.

Each story is unique with the constant call for awareness, understanding and appreciation of the human mind, the internal conflict many wrestle with and how innocence can see beyond the furs and glitz to focus on what really matters – kindness and understanding.

The themes are endless, depression, suicide, loneliness, death, infidelity, greed, PTSD, love, and highlights the consequences of not seeing the obvious signs or not looking beyond yourself. For example, the wife in A Perfect Day for Bananafish jokes about her husband’s solemn mood not seeing the suicidal behaviour nor hearing the desperation in his words.

In ‘For Esme – with love and Squalor’ Esme is a young girl who meets an American soldier before he goes off to war. Despondent and battle weary the soldier has one of the most innocent but affecting conversations which helps pull him back from his current depressive state. The child then gifts her father’s watch and writes that this is on loan to help the sergeant through the war. Full of hope, innocence, touching and written with such simplicity and beauty.

However, this book is an experience and will take you on an emotional journey where the reader will experience a fusion of hope and hopelessness, sympathy, empathy, and despondency. Also kindness, and generosity of spirit, and even a sense of frustration at the many self-destructive and / or selfish acts. Most of all, we shine a light on ‘choice, understanding, acceptance and kindness’ and what a beautiful way to explore these themes through 9 short stories. Brilliant.

Pur affascinato dalla sua vita e dallo stile che, probabilmente più di ogni altro autore io abbia letto (forse solo Joyce fa eccezione), sa riprodurre fedelmente l'atmosfera di un dialogo, non ho mai avito un buon rapporto con Salinger, pur avendo tentato più approcci. Devo dire che i racconti, al contrario, mi hanno piacevolmente stupito, soprattutto per la loro capacità di nascondere solitudine e aspetti tragici oltre una patina di serenità e felicità più apparenti che reali (una critica al sogno americano borghese, forse?). Tuttavia non posso ancora dirmi veramente conquistato da quest'autore. Tanta qualità, ma non riesce a far vibrare le mie corde nascoste. De gustibus...

قبلا ناتور دشت رو خونده بودم و حالم از شخصیت هولدن بهم خورده بود و با خودم عهد کرده بودم دیگه دنبال کتاب هایی از این نویسنده نرم که اصولا جو گیرها توی وبلاگ هاشون با آب و تاب میگن عالیه ! هرچند دوباره تحت تاثیر جو این کتاب رو شروع کردم و اوایلش به خودم میگفتم که باز وقتت با یه کتاب نامناسب حروم شد ؛ اما با خوندن چندتا داستان دیگه تازه دستم اومد سلینجر سبکش چطوریه و یک حالت سوییچ بین کودکی و بزرگسالی سر تا سر داستان هاش به چشم میخورد حالا یا به صورت محسوس یا نا محسوس . داستان های "تقدیم به ازمه با عشق و نکبت" و "دلتنگی های نقاش خیابان چهل و هشتم" و "تدی" ! خصوصا داستان "تدی" مورد علاقه ی من بود ... خود داستان تدی به اندازه کافی ارزش تک خونده شدن رو داره و مفاهیمش و گنجوندن بزرگی یک روح در یک کودک ده ساله توسط سلینجر برام خیلی جالب بود و نظرم در مورد این نویسنده حالا کمی بهتره ، امیدوارم اگر باز کتابی ازش به دستم رسید این نظر تقریبا مثبتم پس رفت نکنه بلکه از طرفدارهاش هم بشم ، البته امیدوارم ...

سلینجر از آن دسته آدم‌هایی است که هنری ذاتی دارد و نوشتن با گوشت و پوست و خون او آمیخته و قلمش روان و نویسندگی برای او راحت است.

این کتاب از کتابهایی است که
حتما باید خرید،خواند، و نگه داشت

i know of three people who are totally obsessed with j.d. salinger:

john hinckley
mark david chapman
goodreads david

i know of four reasons why i (must) love this book:

1) because i don't want to see a list that looks like this:

ronald reagan
john lennon
goodreads brian


2) because in the early 80s salinger was a huge fan of the sitcom mr. merlin which was based on the premise -- wait for it… wait for it... -- that merlin (yeah, that merlin) is alive and well in san francisco and working as a mechanic.

and it gets better: salinger became totally obsessed with elaine joyce, the lead actress from the show, and came out of hiding to track her down and date her.

joyce could later be seen on just about every single game show and… well, just watch this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HywZDx...

(yeah, you really gotta love charles nelson reilly)

i imagine salinger, lonely, smelly, the bottom of his too large t-shirt hard with encrusted sperm, top of it soft with drool… beard stubble, cat hair, spoiled milk, stale danish, waiting all week for the chance to tug at his old man penis to 23 minutes of mr. merlin, hoarsely shouting in anger and frustration as he’s about to ejaculate and they abruptly cut away from joyce to merlin. (thank god for tivo and being able to freeze frame or slo-mo marisa tomei without having to hoarsely shout at ethan hawke and phillip seymour hoffman)

so, it’s very funny, of course, but also incredibly human and poignant and tragic. and while the tendency is to ridicule salinger for falling for a third-rate sitcom actress, it can’t help but humanize and endear him to any of us who have totally, completely, and inexplicably fallen for someone…


3) because i'm a shameless contrarian and all you fuckers love to rag on the man. so i really wanted to love this book. and it wasn't difficult.


4) because it's great. these stories are great. and they don’t even feel like stories, but like nine strange impressionist sketches. i almost feel that each story should have started and ended with an ellipse... you kind of flow from one weird, fragmented sketch to the next -- from the laughing man, which makes you feel more like a child than any story you’ve ever read, into bananafish which is loaded with more stunning and surreal imagery than should be allowed in one story, and then to Teddy’s strange world of cruise ships and fate and genius children…

get in the ring, motherfuckers!

Hepi topu dört kitabı olan Salinger’ın okuduğum üçüncü kitabı, sıcacık 9 öykü içeriyor. Neden bu kadar az ürettiğine şaşırıyorum bu mükemmel kalemin. Amerika toplumunu (özellikle orta sınıfı) çok iyi gözlemlemiş ve o geniş toplumdan seçtiği biraz uç sayılabilecek farklı karakterleri öyle güzel betimliyor ki, Amerikan toplumunun büyük bir fotoğrafı ortaya çıkıyor.

Kitaptaki öykülerin hepsi güzel ama “Esme İçin” yazmış olduğu öykü muhteşem. “Çavdar Talasındaki Çocuklar”ın kendi yaşamından kesitler taşıdığını söyleyen Salinger burada da benim gözlemlediğim üç öyküsünde de kendinden birşeyler naklediyor.

Normandiya çıkartmasına katılan ve ciddi savaşlar gören Salinger’ın savaş ve asker öykülerindeki savaş karşıtlığı dozunun düşüklüğü beni hep düşündürmüştür, detaylı incelediğimde içe kapanık bir yapısı olduğunu, coşkusunu yansıtmayı ancak argo ve küfürle dengelediğini gördüm, yoksa doz düşüklüğü yok aslında, uslubunu böyle kullanıyor. Zaten ölene kadar uzun yıllar inzivaya çekilmesi, hiç yazmaması da bu nedenle..

Sadece öykü sevenlere değil, edebiyat dostlarına öneririm bu kısa kitabı.

Absolutely stunning! Salinger adroitly juxtaposes the tragic and the comic in these brilliant stories. The concluding sentence of every story made my hair stand on end, with its unprecedented inversion and ironic subtlety.

I kicked this one off with some trepidation since Holden Caulfield might very well be my least favorite character in all of literature. It was nice to find that this is a very good collection of short stories. These were all written in the late forties and early fifties, so it is not surprising that most involve characters that are dealing with what we now call PTSD. A lot of reviewers have already touched on Salinger's writing style so I will add nothing more other than to repeat that yes, the man loved his adverbs. 'For Esme - With Love and Squalor' and 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period' were the best of the bunch by a significant margin. Most of these stories were in the three star range for me, but those two bump this collection up to a low four. Much better than 'Catcher in the Rye'.

If I were more put together, I’d have nine tiny one-sentence reviews for this and talk about each story, but I’m not, and so as is it’s a miracle that I have any notes on it at all and also am writing this less than three months after reading it.

I always know if I REALLY like a book that is of VERY high quality if it makes me miss being in literature classes. This one, for example, made me desperately wish I were in one so I could debate “Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes” for at LEAST one million years.

But alas, I am a genius and therefore no longer in college.

Plus I don’t think I ever would have read this in any class anyway.

Some of these stories didn’t work for me but I REALLY liked some of them, as indicated above. Salinger writes so gorgeously, and there are some truly lovely characters here - Esmé and Charles, Teddy, the Glass family.

It is a very small book of very small stories that I liked very much.

Bottom line: What I just said!

---------

earlier, i stated that i am J.D. Salinger trash.

this statement is confirmed.

review to come / 4 stars

I've yet to read a Salinger story that wasn't written with a purpose in mind, a theme speaking quietly within the paragraphs, or loudly with an abrupt ending. It's rare that his exact intention is actually immediately clear to me, but the struggle adds interest, and I don't believe any could be said to have a single meaning anyway. If it meant this to me, it may mean that to another, and maybe we'd both be right.

This past summer, I read Franny and Zooey. My thought in saying this is that if I'd owned a copy of Nine Stories at the time, I would have read it first. Here's the thing: I now know reading Franny and Zooey was the better route for me in understanding the significance of the Glass Family to Salinger's catalog. If I'd read the short stories first, I'd probably have missed the meaning of their names and connections because they really do flash by in an instant. Two of these nine stories are obvious to them, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” (earliest Glass story by Salinger) most especially, and “Down at the Dinghy”. Another two stories are related as well, but I only understood this after researching after finishing. Reading these stories are like seeing marked events, and never understanding the whole. It is elusive. Even when not writing of this family, Salinger's stories touch on coming of age, loss of innocence, the effects of war, etc. Makes me think about not only those matters, but also Salinger himself and why he wrote.

L’intenzione è quella di rileggerli, ma non prima di aver studiato.
Perché?
Perché ne percepisco la potenza, il fatto che per alcuni la perfezione sia già evidente da subito, mentre per altri ho bisogno di saperne di più e di contestualizzarli per poterli apprezzare appieno.
Sono quattro stelle intermittenti, dunque, perché già so che a una seconda lettura saranno cinque fisse.

La perfezione dei dialoghi, quella sì, è evidente da subito.

Il miei preferiti, ora, d’impulso, Un giorno speciale per i pescibanana: l’eco di quel colpo rimbomba ancora qui, fra me e la risacca, terribile, solare, liquido e allo stesso tempo denso come il piombo, e Il periodo blu di De Daumier-Smith : semplicemente non riuscivo a smettere di leggerlo, dovevo assolutamente arrivare alla fine per sciogliere il mistero.

Rilettura per #Lit il GdL della Mc Musa.
Mi ha molto colpita, questa volta, L’uomo ghignante, di cui ho trovato in rete questa splendida recensione

http://www.flaneri.com/2019/10/03/see...