When J.D. Salinger died in January, his fiercely guarded private life was exposed for the first time since his acclaimed novel, The Catcher in the Rye, was published in 1951. The world was amazed that he had hidden away his talent for fifty years without capitalizing on it. Why, it asked? Why miss out on a wonderful business opportunity?
On the other side of New York, the cynical commentators of the world believed that Salinger’s isolation was purely artistic, and his death synonymous with the end of true literature.
However, Salinger was not the first, nor the last, unselfish writer. For writers do not write to make money. It’s a side effect. But, you’re asking, “What about those mainstream authors – you know, Danielle Steele– who shuttle out dozens of novels a year and always top the bestseller list?”
Key word there: author.
Authors are those who write to get published. They want money. Who can blame them? Isn’t that why most lawyers become lawyers and geeks become Bill Gates?
On the other hand, writers are the unselfish missionaries of the written word. Writing for some is like punching pillows or screaming into space. Kate Chopin poured her anger at the sexually constrained nineteenth century into The Awakening. Others teach through their books: Chaim Potok wrote The Chosen as a way to encourage friendships among dissimilar people. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee wrote Inherit the Wind to show the misconceptions of both the deeply religious and the deeply scientific.
Writers, unlike authors, write not to make money, but to voice a thought about society.
However, the realms of authorship and writing often collide, as shown by the aforementioned writer-authors. Sometimes, an author becomes a writer. J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was written as a desperate attempt to earn some money; however, she disapproves of fan fiction (even threatens lawsuits!) and because of this, preserves the dignity of her characters and deserves to be considered a bona fide writer.
Unfortunately, writers often become authors. Stephanie Meyer, with her now cultish series Twilight, began with a well-intentioned effort to draw young people to read (and couldn’t be expecting too much money, because fourteen agents rejected her!), but eventually succumbed to the media machine and began including more and more ‘teen romance’ and ‘true love’ until her last novel became an adolescent version of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
But why are D.H. Lawrence’s words considered better than Ms. Meyer’s?
Harold Acton, in saying, “So often is the virgin sheet of paper more real than what one has to say, and so often one regrets having marred it,” makes an undeniable declaration. There is such a thing as bad writing. The first hint of bad writing comes with the first misspelling. Or, to pick on Stephanie Meyer again, when the main character has a thought like this: “I tried to make my smile alluring…He smiled back, looking allured.”
Good writing is harder to define. Sometimes it grabs the reader and forces him to finish reading (Michael Crichton anyone?). However, Charles Dickens certainly didn’t write gripping thrillers, and yet he is considered one of the greatest novelists in history. He was able to relate to the reader through one of his hundreds of characters, while using proper grammar and developing a plot line.
Salinger only published a handful of stories; nevertheless. he is world-renowned. Not many true writers can also claim to be uncorrupted authors. Salinger’s goal, though, was not to prove his literary merit, but simply to voice his thoughts.
And whether those were about ducks or human nature was for him to decide, and everyone else to criticize.
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