The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| Three unpublished JD Salinger stories leaked online Posted: 28 Nov 2013 05:26 PM PST It was difficult to trace the origin of the collection called "Three Stories," with the only known copies of the stories existing in research libraries at the University of Texas and Princeton University, it said. The stories are "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls," "Paula," and "Birthday Boy." The book appears to be one of those in a 25-copy compilation of the stories privately printed without Salinger's permission in London in 1999. The stories leaked on the Internet appeared as a "pdf" scan of that book, the New York Times said in its online edition. BuzzFeed quoted Salinger scholar Kenneth Slawenski as saying the works posted online in a collection called "Three Stories" are from the author, best known for his 1951 novel "Catcher in the Rye." Social media site Reddit said scans of the stories taken from the unauthorized book first appeared on an invitation-only file-sharing site. But they later were available on a handful of sites. The story "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls" is seen as a prequel to "Catcher." It is about Kenneth Caulfield, the younger brother of "Catcher" protagonist Holden Caulfield and the model for the character Allie in the book. The story is only available at the Princeton library to scholars who are supervised by library staff. Under terms of the arrangement, it cannot be published until 2060, Salinger scholars have said. David Ulin, book critic for the Los Angeles Times, vouched for the authenticity of two of the stories. He has not read "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls." "I have read the other two stories, however, at the University of Texas' Ransom Center, and the versions of them in 'Three Stories' are the real deal," he wrote on the paper's website. Salinger died in 2010 of natural causes at 91. "Catcher" has been translated into the world's major languages and sold more than 65 million copies. It is routinely listed among the best novels of the 20th century. Alarmed by his sudden fame, Salinger had been a recluse since 1953, ferociously protecting his privacy in Cornish, a small town in northwest New Hampshire. Besides "Catcher" he published only a few books and collections of short stories, including "9 Stories," "Franny and Zooey," "Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters" and "Seymour: An Introduction." He published nothing after 1965. Salinger often turned to the courts to help him guard his privacy. In 1982 he sued to halt the publication of a fictitious interview with a major magazine. In 2009, he sued to stop the US publication of a novel by Swedish writer Fredrik Colting that presents Holden Caulfield as an old man. - Reuters, November 29, 2013. |
| Mitch Albom revisits heavenly theme in new book Posted: 28 Nov 2013 02:59 AM PST His latest book of fiction follows the reaction of people from a small Michigan town claiming to receive phone calls from loved ones in heaven. Sully Harding, a town resident, is skeptical and conducts his own investigation. Albom speaks about the significance of the human voice, Alexander Graham Bell and religion. Q: How did you come up with the plot? A: About the time that I was considering starting the book, my mother suffered two very bad strokes and lost the ability to speak. She is still alive and I can go sit with her, although I am not sure whether she realises it is me. Not hearing her voice any more is striking because the first voice you hear is that of your mother. I began to realise the preciousness of the actual sound of a person's voice. I noticed how many people, after someone dies, will not erase phone messages because they just want to hear the voice. That became the basis for my wanting to do something with the human voice. What if you got to hear it again? What kind of comfort would just the voice be? That led me to phones. What if someone or a bunch of people get a phone call from heaven but in a limited environment? Would anyone believe that? How would the world react? I sprang off from there. Q: How does religion influence your fiction writing? A: I am certainly not a religious writer and do not espouse any religious beliefs. Whenever I do write stories that nudge in the area of faith or belief I try to do so in a way that is not dogmatic or particular to any one religion. Most religions have some concept of afterlife and what happens next. Those are elements in my stories. I often get way too much credit. I am just a storyteller. The only difference is that maybe my books have a little more hope, but I am still trying to write an entertaining story without hitting anybody over the head with a message. If I don't have good characters and interesting things happening, no one is going to finish the book. Q: Can you discuss your research behind Alexander Graham Bell and how his story weaves into the plot? A: I had already started writing when I began to wonder how the telephone was invented and maybe there was a paragraph I could use somewhere. As I read more about the subject, I became consumed. The background behind the telephone is incredibly emotional and almost inspirational, and I saw enormous parallels with the story I was writing. The phone was invented out of love to find a way for Bell's deaf wife to speak. When I read about the first phone call, it contains the sentence, 'Come here I want to see you.' The original idea behind the phone was not simply talking but bringing people together, which is one of the book's underpinnings. Q: What would you like readers to take away from the book? A: Human voice and contact should not be taken for granted. Make sure if given a choice, be present and with somebody. Second, if something is a miracle to you, it still is a miracle. It does not matter whether science disproves it or the whole world believes otherwise. I think little miracles happen all the time. – Reuters, November 28, 2013. |
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