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4 kottke.org posts about J.D. Salinger

 

How do you pronounce Zooey?

I just read J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, and in discussing it, I got to wondering about the pronunciation of Zooey. I couldn't find any record of Salinger discussing the pronunciation, so no one really knows how it's supposed to sound. This Live Journal post has a few comments from people certain it rhymes with showy. It also has a few comments from people certain it rhymes with dewy. MetaFilter was also non-conclusive. Is it possible the internet doesn't know?

Actress Zooey Deschanel is named after the book title, but pronounces her name Zoe. However, when asked about Salinger's pronunciation, Deschanel said "I don't really care what Salinger says about my name. It's my name." So let's take her with a grain of salt.

For my money, I'm going with Zooey as in Zoo-y. If you want an analytical reason why, I'll go with doubting the meticulous Salinger would have used the word "Phooey" in the book if the pronunciation was Zoe. If you find certain evidence otherwise, let me know.

Comments for this thread are open for a bit. I swear you guys, I'm going to be moderating, and if there's any trouble, I'll turn this comment section right around.

Update:
Via Jeremy Stahl in the comments, a disappointing end to the argument.

By Aaron Cohen    May 21, 2010    11 comments    books   J.D. Salinger

Salinger's "lost" last book

Book publisher Roger Lathbury had a deal in place to publish what would have been J.D. Salinger's last book. But then, he talked.

Around this time, I unwittingly made the first move that would unravel the whole deal. I applied for Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data.

The entire text of the book is available in this back issue of the New Yorker (full text for subscribers only).

J.D. Salinger, RIP

J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of Catcher in the Rye, is dead at 91.

The uncollected stories of J.D. Salinger

Dead Caulfields maintains an unauthorized online collection of the 22 stories written by J.D. Salinger and published in Esquire, The New Yorker, The Saturday Evening Post, etc. These stories have never been collected into a book due to the reclusive author's resistance.

Spanning his literary career between the years 1940-1965, these stories display changes in both the author's style and message. While some are plainly of commercial quality, most are serious works containing an expansive gift of enlightenment and self-examination: that very-satisfying "Salinger moment".

(via @brainpicker)

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