Probably the greatest writer in
American history. 89 year old Salinger had many stories published in
The New Yorker but has had only four books published; The Catcher in the Rye, Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction. His last work published was Hapworth 16, 1924 in
The New Yorker in 1965. His last interview was in 1980 and since then he has become sort of a recluse and lives a quite life in New Hampshire. Salinger almost always writes about young, very intelligent and cynical people and his work appeals greatly to a younger audience because of his theme of loss of innocence and adolescent alienation.