American · 1919–2010
J.D. Salinger published "The Catcher in the Rye" in 1951 and spent the rest of his life retreating from its success. The American author's novel about Holden Caulfield's New York weekend became a touchstone for adolescent alienation, assigned in schools and blamed for assassinations. Salinger stopped publishing in 1965 and granted no interviews, maintaining silence that only increased fascination with his work. He died in 2010, leaving behind unpublished manuscripts.