The Catcher in the Rye is a fictional literary work.
The Catcher in the Rye is a 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger . A controversial novel originally published for adults , it has since become popular with adolescent readers for its themes of teenage angst and alienation . The novel was included on Times 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923 and it was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century .