The Catcher in the Rye

by
 

J. D. Salinger

 
The author Jerome David Salinger (born January 1, 1919) is an American author best known for The Catcher in the Rye, a classic coming-of-age story that has enjoyed enduring popularity since its publication in 1951. A major theme in Salinger's work is the agile but powerful mind of disturbed young men, and the redemptive capacity of children in the lives of such men.

Born in New York City, Salinger began his writing career writing short stories for magazines in New York. Of his early work, several stories -- most notably A Perfect Day for Bananafish stood out. He also published two episodes from what would become The Catcher in the Rye before he had to leave America to join the War: I'm Crazy and Slight Rebellion Off Madison.

His writing was interrupted for a few years by World War II, where he saw combat action in some of the fiercest fighting in the war. This scarred him emotionally, and he later drew upon his wartime experiences in several books, most notably For Esme - With Love and Squalor, which is narrated by a traumatized soldier.

The Catcher in the Rye, his first novel, was published in 1951 and became hugely popular both among critics and young readers. The book, written in the first person, is narrated by the rebellious, immature but insightful teenager named Holden Caulfield.

Salinger later published Franny and Zooey (1961) and Raise High the Roof-Beam, Carpenters and Seymour -- An Introduction (the latter two appearing together in 1963) as well as other short stories (collected in the book Nine Stories).

After the literary fame and notoriety of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger became a recluse. He moved from New York to Cornish, New Hampshire where he continued to write novels but did not publish them.

 

 
The book The Catcher in the Rye is a major and well-known novel written by J. D. Salinger.

Published in 1951, the novel remains controversial today (it was the 13th most frequently challenged book from 1990-2000, according to the ALA [1] (http://www.ala.org/bbooks/top100bannedbooks.html)) and its hero, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage angst.

In the book, seventeen-year-old Holden Caulfield relates his experiences of the previous year (when he was 16). Holden flunked out from Pencey Preparatory School after failing almost all his subjects. After getting into a fight with his room-mate, Holden leaves for New York City, planning on spending a few days in the city before telling his parents. The book, written in the first person, relates Holden's experiences in those days.

(From Wikipedia, The free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/)