Catcher in the Rye Sequel's Legal Battle Continues

Nearly a year ago, then-90-year-old J.D. Salinger—who passed away earlier this year —brought legal action against the writer, publishers and distributors of a Catcher in the Rye sequel. That legal battle is still ongoing, leaving the fate of the would-be sequel up in the air.

A Manhattan court granted Salinger’s request to ban the publication of the novel after deeming that it was similar enough to the original classic to be in violation of Salinger’s copyrights. This decision was taken to appeals court and subsequently sent back to a lower court last week for further evaluation, the New York Times reports.

The book in question, 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, was written by Swedish author Fredrik Colting under the pseudonym “J. D. California." Although the novel does not mention Holden Caulfield specifically, its protagonist is the 76-year-old Mr. C.

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