Salinger, Zombies and flying canoes: a round-up

Here's a themeless round-up of some of my favorite web-things of the past week or two.

JD Salinger's work is leaking
Three previously unpublished Salinger stories are showing up on file-sharing sites, according to Vulture and tons of other sources. This isn't quite an Edward Snowden scale leak, but it does feel like a watershed for Salinger fans lined up and waiting for the five books promised by the somewhat shady documentary released this summer. For a much longer more digressive read on fan reaction, from "Omigod amazing!" to "I can't belive what the Philistines are up to!" scan the Reddit posts.

I think my biggest problem with this is: what's with all the secrecy over when and if these stories - and the promised five other books - will ever emerge through traditional publishing? As far as I know, no publisher has announced any release dates or plans, or plans to make dates. It's okay, you say, because Salinger was secretive. And sure, it's important what Salinger wanted. But he's gone now, and it's not clear why his cult of privacy has extended so far past his death. Unless there are no books. But no one will say officially one way or another.

So what's really depressing about Salinger's legacy is that no one seems to be in charge of it. Instead of an agent or spokesperson, we get leaks and rumors and salacious biographies.

Please, someone, step forward and tell us what's going on. This is ridiculous.

And for a fun read on what it was like to answer Salinger's fan mail, Check out Salon.com.

On-line Story of the Week:
The Rose Trellis, by Jim Meirose. I can say I've never read a story quite like this one. Nothing much happens - it's about an old woman and her tenant, who builds a rose trellis and then goes out to buy roses for it - and the prose is strangely distant, and it's kind of too long. There's a hazy dreaminess to the entire piece, and several weird God stand-ins, and an inspired flashback section narrated by the woman's dead husband who is looking forward in time.

I'm not exactly sure what I think of this story, to tell the truth. It's good, I think, but it's not mainstream good, which I mean as a compliment. It's almost outsider art in its denial of contemporary sensibilities regarding form and style. It's too idiosyncratic, holding to a vision that comes off as unsophisticated, though it's actually anything but. It's about dreams, memories, and death. My hats off to you, Jim Meirose.

Folk Story of the week:
A quick fun read. French Canadians and a flying canoe tempt the Devil and anger God in this new-to-me tale.

Trailer of the week: Zombie Hamlet
It's so obvious that Shakespeare and zombies should get together in a satire about the hackiest aspects of Hollywood. They are three of our most enduring cultural institutions, after all. Why did it take so long?

My only concern with this trailer is that even after several viewings it's not clear whether an actual zombie outbreak occurs. There would have to be a real outbreak, wouldn't there? Don't toy with my emotions, Zombie Hamlet - give me zombies or don't waste my time.