The New Yorker’s Lillian Ross on the life and death of J.D. Salinger

In News by Erin L. Cox

By Erin L. Cox

new yorker

On Wednesday, reclusive American writer J.D. Salinger died.  Author of The Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zooey, Salinger had spent the last 50 years in seclusion.

Famed New Yorker writer Lillian Ross had a close personal friendship with Salinger over the years and wrote a powerful piece about the life and death of the enigmatic author and his views on writing, publishing, and authors today.  Ross also includes personal photographs of Salinger that she took at her home.

My favorite line of the story is reflective of publishing today.  “He didn’t care about the reviews, he said, but “the side effects” bothered him.  ‘There are no writers anymore,’ he said once. ‘Only book-selling louts and big mouths.’

About the Author

Erin L. Cox

Erin L. Cox has worked as Business Development Director for Publishing Perspectives. She is a Senior Associate at Rob Weisbach Creative Management, where she represents writers and handles publicity and advertising clients.