Nine Stories

I recently learned that J.D. Salinger was a prominent inspiration for Wes Anderson, and being a consummate Andersonian, I was eager to read more Salinger than the obvious, Catcher in the Rye. So I picked up Nine Stories. They are no doubt Salinger (much usage of the word goddamn and themes of tragicomedy). I can see where Anderson gets many of his idiosyncrasies, but honestly I think he pulls...more

I recently learned that J.D. Salinger was a prominent inspiration for Wes Anderson, and being a consummate Andersonian, I was eager to read more Salinger than the obvious, Catcher in the Rye. So I picked up Nine Stories. They are no doubt Salinger (much usage of the word goddamn and themes of tragicomedy). I can see where Anderson gets many of his idiosyncrasies, but honestly I think he pulls it off even better than Salinger. Wes picks up where J.D. left off. Not to condemn a genius of American Literature, but for a more cultivated, mature vision of Salinger, I recommend viewing the Royal Tennenbaums, Rushmore, or Bottle Rocket. I do drastically enjoy, however, how Salinger typically satirizes the wealthy, showing them to have stabbing conflict beneath the surface. The parallels between it and the Tennenbaum family are obvious.   hide

Salinger's gems come in the form of dialogue between children and adults, and the contrast between shell-shocked veterans (and otherwise damaged adults) and innocent children. A charming example of this, possibly the best story in the book, is "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," which records the familiar Seymour Glass' last conversation of his life with a small girl at...more

Salinger's gems come in the form of dialogue between children and adults, and the contrast between shell-shocked veterans (and otherwise damaged adults) and innocent children. A charming example of this, possibly the best story in the book, is "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," which records the familiar Seymour Glass' last conversation of his life with a small girl at a resort beach. While coming across as eccentric, the encounter doesn't strike me as creepy, and is as absurd as all of Salinger's short stories. "Just Before the War with the Eskimos" has a Zooey-Glass-in-the-bathtub sort of conversation with an almost innocent dupe, and the celebrated "For Esme With Love and Squalor" plays on the same themes.   hide

Anyone interested in different ways to tell stories should read this collection. Most of the stories are about a specific New York haute bourgeoisie culture that might even still exist in some inherited 14-room apartment somewhere, and really isn't he a little too much in love with the young girl characters? But you don't read this book because you know or like the portraits. If anything, you...more

Anyone interested in different ways to tell stories should read this collection. Most of the stories are about a specific New York haute bourgeoisie culture that might even still exist in some inherited 14-room apartment somewhere, and really isn't he a little too much in love with the young girl characters? But you don't read this book because you know or like the portraits. If anything, you read it because you don't know anything about what he's portraying. You read it becausee you're interested in something beyond your own life.   hide

writing short stories is a completely different art to writing novels. my personal opinion is that the short story is more difficult to execute well. salinger, of course, nails it. its not east to create complicated characters and plot lines in a short amount of text while still creating a connection between the characters and the reader. also, the fun thing about salinger is that he is...more

writing short stories is a completely different art to writing novels. my personal opinion is that the short story is more difficult to execute well. salinger, of course, nails it. its not east to create complicated characters and plot lines in a short amount of text while still creating a connection between the characters and the reader. also, the fun thing about salinger is that he is deceptively simple. any asshole can read his works and go "oh my god! thats me!!"... but he includes well hidden metaphors and allusions for those interested in a more challenging read...    hide