Fanspot
The Pond
Sometimes described as the chronicle of a disaster waiting to happen, The Catcher in the Rye follows the adventures of a teenager expelled from high school and left to fend for himself in the vastness of New York City. This initiatory novel has truly left its mark on the collective unconscious and is still studied in many schools in North America. Since its publication, 65 million copies have been sold. Even today, 250,000 are sold each year.
A largely autobiographical adventure, written by a Jerome David Salinger who had already written several short stories published in The New Yorker, The Catcher in the Rye captures the anxieties and hopes shared by millions of readers affected by the fate of the main character, Holden Caulfield. A barely romanticized version of the author, although he never clearly admitted it, despite the obvious similarities.
But Jerome David Salinger has always had a complex relationship with his most famous book. The sudden and unexpected success even prompted him to leave his hometown of New York for the tranquility of a small town in New Hampshire. He also refused until his death in 2010 that The Catcher in the Ryebe made into a film. This has not prevented several directors from being inspired by it, as well as music groups like Green Day, with the song Who Wrote Holden Caulfield, from the writers, with the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex or actors like Sean Connery, whose character in Finding Forrester refers to the writer…
Born in Manhattan on the first day of 1919, in the aftermath of the First World War, Jerome David Salinger grew up in this city of constant change. It’s not surprising that he wanted to set his novel there, using his knowledge of the place and focusing on the details that give Holden Caulfield’s wanderings their full meaning. Details like the ducks at The Pond in Central Park. The young man wondered what would happen to them once winter came. A question probably on the minds of the book’s fans when they visit this lovely body of water located in the southeast of the park, as ducks are not the only ones who frequent it assiduously. The Pond is an essential stopover for 240 species of migratory birds.
People also come here to admire the view, especially at sunset, in any season. The buildings stand out above the tree tops, like guardians of an abundant and generous nature. A particularly exceptional view from the Gapstow Bridge, a small stone bridge built in 1896 that looks like something out of a fairy tale.
The novel is very criticized in the United States because of the themes tackled (prostitution, school dropout…) but also for having been used as a bedside book by three disreputable individuals, Mark David Chapman, the murderer of John Lennon, John Warnock Hinckley Jr. arrested for trying to kill President Ronald Reagan and Robert John Bardo, the murderer of the actress Rebecca Schaeffer
The Pond
Located in the heart of Central Park, The Pond is surrounded by lawns ideal for picnicking or sunbathing between natural and urban landscapes.
Populated by numerous ducks, night herons and egrets, the U-shaped lake is a true haven of peace, yet located near the bustling Fifth Avenue.
In the summer, the place is ideal for sunbathing and relaxing, while in the fall, the surrounding trees are decked out in their most beautiful colors, offering visitors and other onlookers a most sensational sight.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Fanspots Stories New York
Discover the secrets of the cult places of the greatest masterpieces of pop culture in New York!
The world capital of pop culture, New York embodies unbridled creative freedom. The city that never sleeps has been the muse of a large number of directors, actors, screenwriters, singers, musicians, cartoonists and writers…
Many have passed on their fascination for the city to the general public and made some of its places famous worldwide, making them into the legend of pop culture. These are the secrets of a hundred of them revealed in this first volume of the Fanspots Stories collection.
Did you know that?
Did you know that the filming of Rage Against The Machine’s Music Now in the Fire caused Wall Street to shut down for the first time since 1929?
Fanspots Stories New York is also
Spider-Man, Ghostbusters, Superman, Leonard Cohen, Led Zeppelin…
Directed by a team of pop culture specialists and embellished with many anecdotes, Fanspots Stories New York tells more than just a story: these are some of the most fascinating stories in pop culture.
Fanspot Stories New York
100 pop cults
a unique and new concept
224 pages of fun
a beautiful large-format book 24 x 30, round back slicefil
Content quality
Interest for fans
Value for money
Discover all the places The Catcher in the Rye on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.