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Jerome David (J.D.) Salinger (January 1, 1919-January 27, 2010), author of the 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, was the son of Sol Salinger, who imported kosher cheese, and Marie Jillich. J.D.’s grandfather served as a rabbi at Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Catcher in the Rye, featuring the adventures of the cynical Holden Caulfield, was greeted enthusiastically by literary reviewers and by high school teachers, but in other parts of the country, it was denounced as smut because of Salinger’s frequent use of such words as “goddamn,” bastard,” “Chrissakes.”
For generations of adolescents, it was must reading. It was also sought as a movie property, but Salinger turned down appeals from numerous filmmakers, as the author became increasingly reclusive. He and his wife Claire Douglas had two children, Margaret and Matthew, and studied Eastern religions, Dianetics, and Christian Science. They divorced in 1967.
Tomorrow, Jan. 2: Isaac Asimov
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SDJW condensation of a Wikipedia article