A New York judge has ruled in favor of J.D. Salinger, granting a preliminary injunction against J.D. California's novel "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye," an unauthorized sequel to Salinger's own "The Catcher in the Rye."

This means that California's book will not be published in America this year, although it will still be available in Europe. The injunction is temporary until all the facts can be weighed at an actual trial. The last novel to be banned in America was William Burrough's "Naked Lunch" in 1966.

The judge decided that "60 Years Later" was not enough of a parody and that sales from "60 Years Later" would hurt sales from "The Catcher in the Rye."

Speculation!

J.D. Salinger is 90 years old and completely deaf, according to his attorney. Completely deaf. 90 years old. Famously hasn't left his house in decades. A FICTION WRITER.

Let's say you are J.D. Salinger's attorney. Do you give a crap whether or not the sales from "The Catcher in the Rye" are increased because a parody reignites interest in Salinger's woefully irrelevant, silly little children's book? Do you give a crap if your client makes more money on his book because of a sequel that pays irreverent homage to his forgotten landmark?

No, because you will not see any of that money. But if you can convince a 90 YEAR OLD DEAF OLD DEPRESSED SHUT-IN to sue the publisher, writer, and distributor of that parody, you will get paid this quarter no matter what. Billable hours out the ass.

Do you have a case? Who the fuck cares? Fees, costs, damages, publicity, profit!

J.D. Salinger = not a rational human being, but a good fiction writer nonetheless who should be protected and who is instead having his already-shaky reputation pulled around by attorneys and caregivers like a goddamned blow-up balloon in some lame-ass bullshit parade.

J.D. California = a smug opportunistic troll, Scandinavian "humorist," and a baaaaad fiction writer, but probably accidentally right in all this mess. It is obviously a joke to write a sequel to "The Catcher in the Rye." The legal system sucks at jokes. The whole purpose of the legal system is to grind down anything fun you might ever say into "truth" using threats, penalties, scowls, wigs, robes, hammers, and scales.

Fuck it. California and Salinger's attorneys are BOTH exploiting Salinger. Do you really think Salinger is sitting around his house, still on top of his game, masterminding all this with his full faculties?

Salinger is mushing his gums and pissing in a diaper. Salinger probably does not know what year it is.

So cut that baby in half! Let's burn everything! Let's finally ban "The Catcher in the Rye" for profanity and let's now ban "60 Years Later" for copyright infringement!

Burn it all down!



BURN!



BURN!



BURN!



BURN!



Or, instead, you can enter our "The Catcher in the Rye" Parody Short Story Contest to vent your rage (and mine) with cutting, powerful short stories that pour acid over all this shit and strip it down to the bone.

What is copyright? What is parody? What is fair use?

If you can write a good, legal parody of "The Catcher in the Rye," we will give you fabulous prizes!

Posted by miracle on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:53:41 -0400 -- permanent link