Caulfield Redux

Though it's old news by now, we may as well note that Fredrik Colting lost the first round in his battle to publish 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye in the United States (the book is available in the U.K.) However, there is still the appeal, which may overturn the court's decision. And in the WSJ, Julie Steinberg wonders about some of the same issues we discussed here:

That Tom Stoppard was able to borrow Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from "Hamlet" without penalty speaks more to Shakespeare's inability to protest than to the cultural acceptance of character appropriation.

Inspiration

I confess I'd never heard of Swedish writer Fredrik Colting before I read this editorial in the New York Times.

The piece strikes me as rather odd. It seems to be arguing that there are certain characters who should be left alone. That is to say that writers might be able to write "fan fiction" or sequels/prequels based on some fictional characters but not others. Why is that?

I guess I don't get why writers shouldn't have the freedom to write about whatever -- and whomever -- they want. I understand issues of copyright, but I nevertheless don't see why writers shouldn't be able to find inspiration wherever it strikes, even in a copyrighted text.

I'd love to hear what others think about Colting, his work, and this issue.