J.D. Salinger Dead

When I first read Catcher in the Rye at 20 I thought it was one the best books I had ever read. I read it again when I was 29 and found Holden Caulfield to by whiny and annoying.  I had a similar relationship with On The Road - loved it the first time, not so much the second time but on it's recent anniversary I re-read it with new appreciation.

Would Salinger's literary reputation have been maintained if he had continued to publish? Hard to say. It's the James Dean vs Elvis Presley situation - one dies fast and young and his image stays the same, the other gets old and casts a generous shadow over his earlier work.

J.D. Salinger Dead at 91