J. D. Salinger

1919 – 2010

Jerome David Salinger was an American author best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, which captured adolescent alienation so completely that it has remained in print continuously for more than seven decades and sold more than 65 million copies. After publishing Nine Stories (1953), Franny and Zooey (1961), and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963), he retreated to rural Cornish, New Hampshire, refusing interviews and publishing nothing further during the last 45 years of his life. A decorated WWII veteran who took part in the Normandy landings and the liberation of Dachau, he became one of American literature's most studied recluses.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM