Judge blocks Catcher in the Rye sequel
Latest in News
Related stories
A Swedish author whose new book was promoted as a sequel to J D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye cannot publish it in the United States because it too closely mirrors Salinger's classic without adequate parody or critique, a judge ruled.
District Judge Deborah Batts issued her ruling in Manhattan after considering arguments in a lawsuit brought by the 90-year-old reclusive author against the publishers of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye. Judge Batts said its author, Fredrik Colting, had "taken well more from Catcher, in both substance and style, than is necessary for the alleged transformative purpose of criticising Salinger and his attitudes and behaviour". His claim that he also wrote the book to critically examine the main character, Holden Caulfield, was "problematic and lacking in credibility".
She rejected arguments that the depiction of a character in Colting's book who represented Caulfield 60 years later was a parody. She said in a footnote that Colting and his publishers made no indication before the lawsuit was filed that the book was meant as a parody or critique.
"The original jacket of 60 Years states that it is '... a marvellous sequel to one of our most beloved classics'. It is simply not credible for defendant Colting to assert now that his primary purpose was to critique Salinger and his persona." A lawyer for Colting and the book's US distributor, SCB Distributors Inc., said the defendants were "very disappointed" that the judge chose to ban Mr Colting's book". It was scheduled to be published in the US later this summer.
The book has already been published in England.
- 1 Publishing: Rude bits in disguise
- 2 Men in Black 3D (PG)
- 3 Independent podcast: Vasily Petrenko - Shostakovich
- 4 One is nipping to Tesco: Jubilant Jubilee royals as seen by Alison Jackson
- 5 First Night: Paperboy, Cannes Film Festival
- 6 Jedward reach Eurovision final in Baku
- 7 Illness forces Elton to cancel concerts
- 8 Grace Dent on Television: The Exclusives, ITV2
- 9 Fury at Obama over filmmakers' access to Bin Laden kill team
- 10 Jacob Zuma's lawyer weeps in court case against artist
- 1 Brazil rocked by abortion for 9-year-old rape victim
- 2 Society: The only way is Finland
- 3 Northumberland bids to create one of the world's biggest dark sky preserves
- 4 Catcalls, whistles, groping: the everyday picture of sexual harassment in London
- 5 We will 'grow' all organs to order in future, says pioneering surgeon
- 6 Owen Jones: If socialists really did run the show, working people would benefit
- 7 'Hello mum, this is going to be hard for you to read ...'
- 8 Grace Dent on Television: The Exclusives, ITV2
- 9 French in uproar over oral sex anti-smoking posters
- 10 Coke reveals its secret: It may need to carry a cancer warning
Experience the Heineken Hub
Get free wi-fi and exclusive i content while you enjoy a tasty pint of Heineken at participating pubs.
Can you imagine a career in teaching?
Be inspired to teach - let real teachers show you how rewarding the job can be.
Playing a game-changing role during the Games
Cisco is providing the solutions for London 2012's complex IT needs.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Career Services
Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?
Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV
Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman
Move over Brangelina, this night belongs to Kingston Bagpuize
Pizza Pilgrims: Like mamma used to make
Gorgeous Georgian cuisine
Fury at Obama over filmmakers' access to Bin Laden kill team


Comments