Salinger Sues to Stop Sequel
Salinger's lawyers have sued the author of a "Catcher in the Rye" "rip-off."
On Monday, Lawyers representing J.D. Salinger filed suit in federal court in New York seeking a recall of a supposed sequel to Salinger's 1951 classic "Catcher in the Rye." "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye," from the small London-based publisher Windupbird Publishing, is being called a "copycat book" by Salinger's lawyers, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to The New York Times author John David California, or J.D. California, said that his novel, which is dedicated to Salinger, features a 76-year-old character named Mr. C. who wanders the streets of New York after he escapes from his nursing home. California said that "60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye" is "a tribute the way Holden would have said it."
Salinger's lawyers say "it is a rip-off pure and simple."
Salinger has previously refused filming rights for his story of a young Holden Caulfield who wanders the streets of New York City after leaving his prep school, and has taken legal actions to protect his copyright on other occasions but has never appeared in court, BBC News reports.
According to BBC News, in addition to California, Windupbird Publishing, Swedish publisher Nicotext and California-based SCB Distributors are cited in court documents.
The novel is due to be published in the UK later this summer and in the U.S. later in the year.
