Rebel in the Rye Page #8

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No. Excuse me.

You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

You know, there's

a dinner party

going on in there.

Yeah, I'm just a little

uncomfortable right now.

It's just a book.

I didn't even like it

that much, if you wanna

know the truth.

What didn't you

like about it?

Well, it was just like all

those other phony books.

A lot of whining,

and the ending

was a lousy bore.

[chuckles]

You shouldn't

take yourself

so seriously, you know.

It's not like

you're the first guy

to write a hit book.

Wait.

Wait.

Can I get

your phone number?

Got a pen?

I got some...paper, too.

What's your name?

- Claire.

- Claire.

You're the first person

that's ever said

they hated it.

To your face.

Thank you.

You have captured

the consciousness

of the nation.

You've tapped into

the way many feel

and have given a voice

to their pain.

I can't go home anymore.

I wrote the book

to get over the war.

Now, I feel like I'm going

crazy all over again.

[sighs]

Have you not yet learned

how to remove distraction?

New Hampshire is

really beautiful

this time of year.

It's 90 acres,

mostly woods.

The house is modest,

but very nice.

There's also

a small bunker

that can be converted

to a guest house.

- Or an office.

- Whatever you want.

I think you'll be

really happy here.

I hope so.

[typewriter

keys clacking]

An artist's

only concern

is to shoot for

some kind of perfection.

And on his own terms,

not anyone else's.

Excuse me. Mr. Salinger?

Since you write

about teenagers

I thought you might be

interested in running

a youth group.

I think the kids

would love it.

- I would too.

- Great!

Yeah. They're right

over here. Well..

Yet a real artist,

I've noticed

will survive anything.

Jerry?

[scoffs]

You invite me

all the way out here

and then walk away

as soon as you see me?

No. I'm...sorry.

I thought you

were one of those

crazed Caulfield fans.

You should be so lucky.

Hey, you look beautiful.

What do you think?

It's just as you said

in your letters.

It's like the city

without the city.

Do you hate it?

I grew up

in foster homes, Jerry.

As long as you're here,

it's perfect.

Her skin was lovely.

And her features

were delicate.

No one could have

missed saying

that she was

a first-class beauty.

He's overjoyed with

his new spiritual life.

And he goes on

saying his prayer

and telling everyone

he happens to meet

how to say it too.

Hey, Mr. Salinger.

I know you're

very private,

but I -- I was wondering

if I could interview you

for my school newspaper.

They want me to write

an article about someone

I admire and,

and you'd be perfect.

Well, I stopped

doing interviews

a while ago.

But for a school paper

I can certainly

make an exception.

- Really?

- Of course.

The kids at school

are gonna love it!

Thank you. Thank you.

Is "Catcher In The Rye"

autobiographical?

Sort of.

My boyhood was very much

the same as that

of the boy in the book.

You know, I had

problems in school

just like he did.

To be honest,

it was a great relief

telling people about it.

And why do most

of your stories

center on young people?

Because

they're innocent.

And they haven't

been destroyed

by the world yet.

I guess part of me

wishes I could still

be that innocent

but I've seen the things

I've seen, and..

I know I'll never have

that innocence again.

That girl who interviewed

you the other day

was very pretty.

So?

So, you seem to like

pretty, young girls.

Yes, that would

put me in that

special classification

known as a man.

Well, I hope you'll

still love me when I'm not

a pretty young girl.

Of course I will.

[exhales]

- No.

- What?

That interview..

The interview

with the girl, it was..

It was printed

in the local paper

not the school paper.

- So?

- So..

She lied to me,

she said it was

for the school paper.

- She lied!

- It's okay, Jerry.

- It's gonna be okay.

- No. I trusted her!

- Now, Jerry, it's okay.

- I trusted her!

And she betrayed me!

Goddammit!

Even the goddamn children

betray me now!

When people become

the distraction..

...then, I suppose

you remove the people.

There hasn't been

a single mention

of me or "Story Magazine"

in any of the press.

Not a single mention.

That's because you have

no official involvement

in the book.

But I published

his first story.

I'm the one

who convinced him

that Holden Caulfield

should be a novel.

Well, you would've

been the publisher

of the hottest

novel of the year

if you'd published

his anthology

like you promised him.

[sighs]

I haven't slept

for six months.

And I miss him.

Well, I'm sorry

about that.

Lippincott says

that they'll publish

an anthology now.

Anything he wants.

Everyone wants

an anthology.

But we're going

with Little, Brown,

out of loyalty

although I hate

the title.

"Nine Stories."

It's such a bore.

Do you think

Jerry would write

a piece for "Story?"

It doesn't have to be

a new piece.

It -- it can be

an old story.

It -- it -- it's fine.

We're...we're just

really struggling.

I already asked him.

He said no.

How can he still

be angry with me?

He's a huge success now.

It hasn't been

easy on him.

The war made him

a better writer

but it really

messed him up.

[typewriter

keys clacking]

It seems to me,

indisputably true

that artists and poets

who have a reputation

for producing a great

or fine art

have something

garishly wrong

with them as persons.

A spectacular

flaw in character

or an extreme

self-centeredness.

And the public's thirst

for their next

supposed masterpiece

only makes them want to

hide from distractions

even more.

You've been in that studio

for over a week, Jerry.

A week writing

about the Glass family!

We're alone here, Jerry!

You can't just leave us

alone like this!

We are your family too.

[baby crying]

I have no friends here.

I have no one

to talk to.

I am all alone.

[baby crying]

I'm alone.

He's absolutely

unfit for marriage

or anything

halfway normal.

It's a sad fact

that the end of one story

always seems to grow into

the start of a new one.

And the tragedy is

there is simply nothing

he can do about it.

Please, you know

you're not supposed

to bother me in here.

[sighs]

I know.

But you have a phone call,

and he says

it's important.

Why? Who is it?

Whit Burnett.

No. No, I -- I don't

want to talk to him.

You'd think with

all that meditation

you'd have learned

to forgive by now.

- Hello?

- Jerry. Hi.

It's been a long time.

Yes, it has.

Li.. Uh, I never got

a chance to tell you

but I just loved

"Catcher In The Rye."

Thank you. It was

your idea to write it.

Well...it's one thing

to have an idea.

It's another thing

to execute it, and you did

so brilliantly.

- Thank you.

- Ho -- how's life

in the country?

- I -- I unders --

- It's fine, Whit.

What can I do for you?

Are you still angry

about what happened?

Is that why you called?

No. No,

I called because..

Um..

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