BOOK REVIEW : The Catcher In The Rye: JD Salinger

Last Friday American novelist JD Salinger, author of classic 20th Century book The Catcher In The Rye, died aged 91. The reclusive writer died of natural causes at his home in the state of New Hampshire, his son said. The Catcher in the Rye is written in first person (as if Holden himself had written it). There is flow in the seemingly disjointed ideas and episodes; for example, as Holden sits in a chair in his dorm, minor events such as picking up a book or looking at a table unfold into discussions about past experiences. Critical reviews agree that the novel accurately reflected the teenage colloquial speech of the time. First published in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye is a tale of teenage angst. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of alienation and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world’s major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than sixty-five million. The novel’s protagonist and antihero, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage rebellion. It has become one of the most influential American novels of the modern era. The novel was included on a 2005 Time Magazine list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923, and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged in the United States for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and teenage angst. It also deals with complex issues of identity, belonging, connection, and alienation.Soon after its publication, Salinger shunned the fame it brought and became a recluse for the rest of his life. The son of a Jewish businessman and Scots-Irish mother, Jerome David Salinger was born in New York and grew up in Manhattan. He enjoyed early success in the 1940s with the publication of numerous short stories in magazines, among them the New Yorker. Email: joseph.bugabo@gmail.com

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BOOK REVIEW : The Catcher In The Rye: JD Salinger