WHEN, ON its publication in 1951, the Christian Science Monitor described J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye as “preposterous, profane and pathetic beyond belief”, it was inconceivable that the novel would go on to achieve iconic status in American literature as well as inspiring a cult following world-wide and becoming one of the most quoted works of the 20th century.
In the post-war era, when American idols and role-models were anti-authority figures such as James Dean and Elvis Presley, Salinger’s novel became something of a handbook for insecure and disaffected youth. For many younger readers in the 50s and 60s it was the stepping stone that took them from the more innocent themes of childhood classics into the darker woods of adult literature.
Within its pages they discovered the shock of recognising themselves. Its themes of alienation and sexuality continued to appeal to new generations of young readers who found in the thoughts and behaviour of Salinger’s independent-minded anti-hero, Holden Caulfield, a reflection of their own rebellious inclinations and aversion to the phoney.
At least one of the novel’s devotees linked his own moment of notoriety to Catcher in the Rye — after murdering Beatle John Lennon, a copy of the book was discovered on Mark Chapman who believed the novel would explain his motives.
Salinger may now appear to have been a one-hit literary wonder but, if nothing else, that single work demonstrated the voice of a true original and devotion to it is evident in the tributes from other writers that have followed his death. However, it would be churlish to dismiss outright the merits of other works, particularly Franny and Zooey and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters.
In later years, Salinger was more noted for his eccentric behaviour and retreat into seclusion than for his literary output. He held fast to his privacy and to the declaration of his protagonist in the Catcher that he was “ not going to tell you my whole goddam autobiography or anything”. For Salinger, silence was golden.
Perhaps the role of guru to his young audience was a responsibility he did not want, but his eschewal of celebrity and its attached illusions has to be admired. The speculation that there may now be a trove of works, written in his final years and awaiting publication, will raise hopes among his many fans.