Reclusive J.D. Salinger, author of the 1951 novel Catcher in the Rye, has died at the age of 91, according to a statement released by his agent, Phyllis Westberg.
He passed away from natural causes at his home in New Hampshire.
Catcher in the Rye was a critical and popular success that has sold well continuously since its first publication. The book is usually understood to be a portrayal of teenage alienation and has often been a favorite book of young people. The aimless struggles of the protagonist, Holden Caufield, are part of one trend in the modern novel of depicting modern man as without any reliable moral compass.
Salinger began withdrawing from society after the novel’s success and had not given any interviews since 1980.
Interestingly, the urge for privacy seems to have lingered after his passing in a curious way: Although numerous media received the statement of his death, the Web site of the agent, www.haroldober.com, lists Salinger as an author but has no trace of the statement.
Several films have portrayed fictional characters based on Salinger emphasizing his reclusiveness, such as Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, and most recently Finding Forrester, starring Sean Connery.
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