Publisher hires lawyer to defend Salinger sequel
11.06.09 | Philip Jones
The publisher and distributor of the unauthorised sequel to The Catcher in the Rye are stepping up their bid to fight off J D Salinger's attempt to block publication. The publisher had already publicly scoffed at Salinger's lawsuit, and according to GalleyCat, the publishing team has now hired the law firm of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz to fight the lawsuit in federal court, calling the suit "ham-fisted".
The book was briefly available in the UK but is now listed as "out of stock" on Amazon.co.uk. US publication of the novel has been put on hold, pending the first court appearance, slated for June.
The move comes as the true identity of the author behind 60 Years Later--Coming Through the Rye has been revealed as its Swedish publisher Fredrik Colting of Nicotex. The pseudonymous writer J D California had previously claimed to be from New York. "Fredrik Colting, the publisher, and JD California, we are the same person,” Colting told the Local. "I’m not Swedish American. I’m 100 percent Swedish, born on April 1st, 1976 in Borås, a place outside of Gothenburg." A photograph of California that appeared in a British newspaper also contained more than an element of subterfuge. "That was actually my friend Gustav Roth. He's an actor, so I said to him: 'Go act'."
Colting is reported to have said that he did not have much time to speculate about how his book would do, though admitted he had received some negative feedback.
GalleyCat printed a statement from Aaron Silverman at SCB Distributors: "Salinger's ham-fisted attempt to squash this thoughtful book must fail ... A review of "60 Years Later" shows it to be an independent work worthy of Copyright and First Amendment protection. Readers will find 60 Years Later to be an imaginative commentary not only on Salinger and his relationship to the character that defined him--but also on their joint status as cultural icons."
Comments on this article
By philip
I've lost all sympathy for these characters: it is clear that they are just taking the piss out of an old man who once wrote a great book. By contrast, these people have contributed nothing.11 Jun 09 09:15
By jennij
Has this become the most talked about but unread book? No one mentions even reading it or what it is actually like! I'm half way through it and have been quite entertained so far and the writing style does an excellent job of mimicking the original book. Perhaps I'm one of the few who never thought Salinger's book was all it was touted to be, but I do think there's a place for 60 Years Later alongside it. Copyright infringement it may be so let them sort out a financial settlement, but keep this book in print.11 Jun 09 10:17
