Monday 22 February 2021 18:30
The SNFCC Reading Club, hosted by the author Panos Tsiros, continues with another online get-together in February.
Book lovers renew their date for Monday, February 22, to talk about all things literary – or not! Inspired by the book of the month, the group of readers will come together once again to share their experiences, feelings and thoughts, make friends and exchange opinions.
February Book of the Month: J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
An author who caused a great stir when he first broke onto the American literary scene in the 1950s, J.D. (Jerome David) Salinger (1919-2010) is still one of the most captivating and enigmatic literary figures of our time, who’s left an indelible mark on post-war realism, and a massive legacy to subsequent generations of fellow writers. Salinger, who had “a hell of a talent”, according to Ernest Hemingway whom the former hero-worshipped, created a totally subversive style, using a language that was bold, peppered with slang and everyday expressions, and tackling the taboos of American society, such as isolation, alienation, death, and the loss of innocence, with an audacious mixture of humor and sarcasm.
Born in New York in 1919, J.D. Salinger started writing professionally at age nineteen, but his literary pursuits were temporarily suspended when he was drafted to fight in World War II, an experience that marked him for life. He took up writing again in 1948, publishing his work in major American journals, such as, notably, The New Yorker. A master of the short form, Salinger published several short story collections and novellas. He hit the big time in 1951, with The Catcher in the Rye, his one and only novel, which, while catapulting him to international fame, caused him to reassess his attitude to public life. Two years later, Salinger retreated to his house in New Hampshire, where he continued to write until June 1964, avoiding all publicity and contact with the outside world.
The Catcher in the Rye, a fascinating coming-of-age novel, has claimed its place among the greatest masterpieces of 20th century of adolescent and young adult literature; it has been translated into dozens of languages and is taught as part of the curriculum in American schools. Its protagonist is 16-year-old Holden Caulfield, the son of a bourgeois family, who’s expelled from boarding school just before Christmas, and dares not return home. He spends three days wandering the chaotic streets of New York, struggling to connect with those around him and with himself, and battling with the unbearable angst he feels about his lost childhood. As best he can; as so many generations of people before and after him. And maybe that’s why Holden Caulfield has become a hero and a symbol that never grows old in the minds of millions of readers across the entire globe. Because he is the teenager we’ve all been, at some point in our lives…
Panos Tsiros was born in Athens in 1970. He studied at the School of Philosophy of the University of Ioannina, and went on to pursue postgraduate studies in Philosophy in England, completing his thesis on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico–Philosophicus. He has worked in secondary education for several years. His first collection of short stories, Ferte mou to kefali tis Marias Kensora (Bring me the head of Maria Kensora), was published in 2007 by Gavriilidis Publications, followed, in 2013, by another short story collection, entitled Den ein’ etsi? (Isn’t it so?), published by Mikri Arktos. His third collection, I monaksia ton skilon (The loneliness of dogs) was released by Nefeli Publishing in 2019. He has collaborated with several magazines, and a number of his short stories have been translated into French.
Monday 22/02, 18:30-20:30
For adults Up to 50 participants Participation by online pre-registration
Pre-registration starts on Monday 01/02 at 12.00
Coordinator: Panos Tsiros, author
To take part in the Reading Club, registered participants are required to have read the book of the month.
The Reading Club will meet online via Zoom.
