J.D. Salinger, Author of 'The Catcher in the Rye,' Is Dead at 91

J.D. Salinger was notoriously reclusive in his later years, choosing to spend the his post-fame life in the seclusion provided by New Hampshire granite and wood. He did not give interviews and he did not engage with the outside world, literary or otherwise. He did, however, periodically visit the Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College -- specifically, he would visit the News Room, a relatively out-of-the-way section of the first floor of the library where he would sit for hours and read newspapers and other news publications, reportedly. I too have spent many, many hours in the News Room throughout my Dartmouth career. I've worked there since freshman year, before I was let go and then the position was cut from the staff (in that order). I know I must have seen him or helped him with something or spoken with him, but I never knew it was him. And now he is gone, and breathing feels more shallow. The frailty of life is at once overwhelming and strangely close to home.

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From: Sorority sister

Date: 28 Jan 2010 13:40:52 -0500
Subject: News Alert: J.D. Salinger, Author of 'The Catcher in the Rye,' Is Dead at 91
To: Sorority list, including me

the publications roomwill never be the same.....

--- Forwarded message from "NYTimes.com News Alert" ---

Date:      Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:17:45 -0500
From: "NYTimes.com News Alert"
Subject:   News Alert: J.D. Salinger, Author of 'The Catcher in the Rye,' Is Dead at 91
Reply-to: nytdirect@nytimes.com

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Thu, January 28, 2010 -- 1:17 PM ET
-----

J.D. Salinger, Author of 'The Catcher in the Rye,' Is Dead at 91

J. D. Salinger, who was thought at one time to be the most
important American writer to emerge since World War II but
who then turned his back on success and adulation, has died
in Cornish, N.H., where he lived in seclusion for more than
50 years, his son told The Associated Press. He was 91.

Mr. Salinger's literary reputation rests on a slender but
enormously influential body of published work: the novel "The
Catcher in the Rye," the collection "Nine Stories" and two
compilations, each with two long stories about the fictional
Glass family: "Franny and Zooey" and "Raise High the Roof
Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction."

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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Atlas Shrugged [E-mailed]

Here's an e-mail I received from a friend that I thought was interesting enough to post verbatim. I've never read Atlas Shrugged (I know, so sue me) but now my interest is piqued -- is the entire book very good?

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From: [Dartmouth '10 retracted]

Date: 28 Dec 2009 19:23:31 -0500

Subject: interesting little tidbit
To: [Group of sender's friends including Georgina]
Reply-To: [Nickname retracted]

sooooo this break i've been reading ayn rand's atlas shrugged - really really interesting. buuut here's a passage i just HAD to share

about sex. you can interchange the him and her as you wish

"He will always be attracted to the woman who reflects his deepest vision of himself, the woman whose surrender permits him to experience - or to fake - a sense of self-esteem. The man who is proudly certain of his own value, will want the highest type of woman he can find, the woman he admires, the strongest, the hardest to conquer - because only the possession of a heroine will give him the sense of an achievement, not the possession of a brainless slut."

a little harsh on the "brainless slut" part - but sort of interesting when we think about people we're attracted to

sorry if this bores you, i just had to share, and am sitting at home reading alone, so obvi blitz [e-mail] comes to the rescue.

anywaysssssss happppy new years!

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But since I've never read Atlas Shrugged, I'm left wondering: who is "he" in this quote?