For decades art was made to shock. Now people are turning to art for its ability to soothe. Especially popular in e-mails and chat rooms in recent days is W.H. Auden's poem "September 1, 1939" ("The unmentionable odour of death/Offends the September night"), written as World War II began. TIME asked artists and writers what they were turning to.
JHUMPA LAHIRI, Pulitzer prizewinning author: "I've reread Franny and Zooey. There is something reassuring about Salinger, and I also wanted to read a novel set in New York City. Though it is a dark story, Salinger's New York family survives their difficulties...