@gailcalled How are you? Good question!
Salinger was one of my favorite writers. I mourn his loss of course but it is hard to miss a writer who stopped publishing so long ago. While Catcher was my first exposure, my favorites were the Glass family stories and some of the others in Nine Stories. My favorite might be “For Esme with Love and Squalor”.
I actually love that it’s quite easy to read all of Salinger’s work. Though they say he’s been keeping manuscripts in a safe for years, there might have not been more to him that was worth writing. Salinger is not perfect, but his sentiments are. That’s how I like my writing.
Adam Gopnik’s New Yorker piece was basically about how Salinger influenced American writing by allowing it to be more emotional (In contrast to Hemingway, who first made it harder edged).
I also read this week Updike’s criticism of Salinger written in the 60’s for the first time- with Updike saying that Salinger loved his characters too much, such that they were unreal and not held up to public censure- that he “Gave them more love that God himself would have given them”.
I could never put my finger on it but I think he may be right. But I think that’s one of things that I love about his writing most- perhaps it is a bit of fantasy in a way- but is such a moving fantasy. Gopnik also makes some good points about Salinger’s description and powers of observation- words are hardly wasted and he has a method of distilling everything into it’s most telling and deserving detail.
I might come back and post some links to this stuff.