Jerome David "J. D." Salinger (pronounced /?sæl?nd??r/; born
January 1, 1919) is an American author, best known for his 1951
novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature.
He has not published an original work since 1965 and has not
been interviewed since 1980. Raised in Manhattan, Salinger began
writing short stories while in secondary school, and published
several stories in the early 1940s before serving in World War
II. In 1948 he published the critically acclaimed story "A
Perfect Day for Bananafish" in The New Yorker magazine, which
became home to much of his subsequent work. In 1951 Salinger
released his novel The Catcher in the Rye, an immediate popular
success. His depiction of adolescent alienation and loss of
innocence in the protagonist Holden Caulfield was influential,
especially among adolescent readers. The novel remains widely
read and controversial, selling around 250,000 copies a year.
The success of The Catcher in the Rye led to public attention
and scrutiny: Salinger became