J.D. Salinger sues 'sequel' author

J.D. Salinger has taken legal action to block the publication of a new book written as a sequel to his iconic 1951 novel The Catcher In The Rye.

Legal papers have been filed on behalf of the reclusive author which seek to halt 60 Years Later: Coming Through The Rye by John David California, which features a Holden Caulfield-like character identified as "Mr C".

California has been named in the court documents together with SCB Distributors and publishers Nicotext and Windupbird.

The legal papers read: "The sequel is not a parody and it does not comment upon or criticise the original. It is a rip-off pure and simple."

California told The AP that the lawsuit was "a little bit insane" and that Salinger only had control over the names of his characters, but not their perspective.

"To me, this is a story about an old man. It's a love story, a story about an author and his character. I did not mean to cause him any trouble," he added.