High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger. Originally published for adults, it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage confusion, angst, alienation, language, and rebellion. It has been translated into almost all of the world`s major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than 65 million books. The novel`s protagonist and antihero, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage rebellion.