J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

Sarah Graham (The University of Leicester)
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When J. D. Salinger died on 27th January 2010 he had not published any fiction since 1965, yet his passing was a globally reported news story. This level of public interest supports Ian Hamilton’s contention that Salinger’s writing will “figure in any conventional account of the best works of our time” (Hamilton, 1998, 8), principally because of the enduring popularity of his only novel,

The Catcher in the Rye

. First published in July 1951,

Catcher

became one of the most-loved, critically acclaimed, controversial and best-selling American novels of the century. It proved far more popular than its author ever anticipated: it has been translated into more than thirty languages and is reported to have sold over 65 million copies. Indeed, some critics and biographers speculate that…

3450 words

Citation: Graham, Sarah. "The Catcher in the Rye". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 August 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1361, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1361 The Catcher in the Rye 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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