Jazz, film, and teenage rebellion are the subjects of an upcoming Lexington literary event.
Catcher in the Rye is the subject of this year’s Carnegie Classics. The Friday event, hosted by the eponymous center for Literacy and Learning, will bring the setting of Salinger’s novel to life, celebrating New York of the 1940s. Performances will include dance numbers as well as live jazz. Singer Jessie Laine Powell says the 40’s was an influential period for this type of music.
"This was a time when crooners were coming on the scene, and artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, were singing and being introduced by big bands, but they were becoming teen idols at that time," she explained.
The event also features several short films by local artists, each reactions Catcher’s theme, plot, and characters. One is a stop-motion painting of Holden on the streets. According to filmmaker John Lackey, it represents his interpretation of Holden as distraught over the loss of his brother.
“Reading it as a teenager, you see all the angst and anger, and reading it as a grown up, with a little bit of experience and compassion, and you see it as pain. There’s a reason for the pain if you read the book, so I’ve kind of focused on that, he said."
Carnegie Classics: Catcher in the Rye will take place Friday from 7-10PM at 251 West Second Street. Additional information, including ticket prices, can be found at carnegiecenterlex.org.
