J.D. Salinger dead at 91
J.D. Salinger, notoriously reclusive author of literary classic Catcher in the Rye, has died at the age of 91, reports indicate.
Salinger’s son released a report via the author’s literary agent that Salinger passed away of natural causes at his remote home in Cornish, NH. Salinger lived in seclusion for decades prior to his death, last publishing an original work in 1965. Salinger’s last interview was in 1980, and the author was known for his reclusive nature along with his most notable work, 1951’s Catcher in the Rye.
Catcher in the Rye was an immediate success upon its release, despite also quickly landing on many banned books lists due to the controversial usage of profanity and “adult situations.” The book has retained popularity over decades, particularly with brooding adolescents who identify with the novel’s protagonist Holden Caulfield. Catcher in the Rye also figured into some high profile crimes, including the assassination of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman.
Salinger’s agent says that the author’s health had rapidly declined in the past month, but that he was free from pain:
Despite having broken his hip in May,” the agency said, “his health had been excellent until a rather sudden decline after the new year. He was not in any pain before or at the time of his death.”
As The New York Times points out, it seems that Salinger ended up living his life out as Caulfield would have wanted to:
He seemed to be fulfilling Holden’s desire to build himself “a little cabin somewhere with the dough I made and live there for the rest of my life,” away from “any goddam stupid conversation with anybody.”
