Catcher in the Rye

Most people recognize the title of this novel but what they might not know is that “Catcher in the Rye” was the only novel written by J.D. Salinger. It was a book that lots of schools chose to have their students read. I was one of those students. It was published on July 16, 1951, and was all about a confused teenager who had become disillusioned by the adult world. At this time Salinger was 31 years old and had worked on the novel for a decade. He had stories published in New Yorker magazine in the 1940s.

“Catcher in the Rye” became a run-away success and became a Book of the Month Club selection. However Salinger wasn’t happy about being in the public eye and he retreated to a hilltop cabin in Cornish, New York. He continued to have stories published in New Yorker magazine. In 1963 he came out with “Franny and Zooey” a book based on two New Yorker stories combined. “Franny” was a short story and “Zooey” a novella. In 1965 the author stopped publishing work and the same year divorced his wife of 12 years. Then in 1999 journalist Joyce Maynard published a book which told of her affair with Salinger.

<a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-snax-placeholder="Source" class="snax-figure-source" href="https://www.nhpr.org/post/inside-jd-salingers-house#stream/0%20" target="_blank">https://www.nhpr.org/post/inside-jd-salingers-house#stream/0%20</a>

Salinger became notorious for being a recluse and died at his home in New Hampshire on January 27, 2010, at 91 years of age.