Mr. Salinger smells a phony

It's rare to see J.D. Salinger's name in the headlines these days -- unless there is a law suit involved, that is.

The famously reclusive author has tabbed the courts again to protect the sanctity of his much celebrated and scrutinized novel The Catcher in the Rye. The suit stems from the pending publication of an unauthorized sequel to Catcher written by a Swedish-American under the pen name J.D. California and entitled 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye.

According to the NY Times:

The new work centers on a 76-year-old “Mr. C,” the creation of a writer named Mr. Salinger. Although the name Holden Caulfield does not appear in the book, Mr. C is clearly Holden, one of the most enduring adolescent figures in American literature, as an old man. Both novels are set in New York, feature the same characters and use similar language. Mr. Salinger’s work opens with the 16-year-old Holden’s departure from a boarding school; the new book begins with “Mr. C” leaving a retirement home. Both end on a carousel in Central Park.

So the book is a blatant piggybacking of Salinger's genius, but the case brings up some interesting questions about First Amendment rights and copyright laws.

How much ownership does an author have over his characters -- even characters as unique and iconic as Holden Caulfield?

What is the proper ratio of borrowed material vs. unique material for a work to be considered new and independent?

And why does J.D. Salinger seem like Mr. Grumpypants all the time? His book is still hip.