Holden Caulfield became one of the first modern teenage literary celebrities.
And thanks to two factors - that author JD Salinger never published another novel, and that Mark Chapman was carrying the book when he was arrested for the murder of John Lennon in December 1980 - it has attained semi-mythical status.
However, like many so-called classics, opinion about it is divided. Some find the tale of a few days in the life of cynical, disaffected Caulfield a brilliant insight into the teenage psyche. Others find Salinger's voice misanthropic, whining and self-indulgent.
Holden Caulfield is an angry and distrustful character. He finds the worst in everything and everyone, existing in his own reality. Having been expelled from several schools, and with his younger brother recently having died, he sets about doing what teenage boys tend to do, thinking about sex. However, his failures and apparent awkwardness in this field belie the supposed streetwise and world-weary character that we have previously met.
The book is likely to strike a chord with many teenagers. But while The Catcher in the Rye identifies a confusing time of one's life, it doesn't help in dealing with it. It exploits the tremendous fear of the end of innocence, and the unstoppable arrival of responsibility.
Caulfield wallows in his anger and disaffection, and the terminally negative tone fails, from my perspective, to recognise that the arrival of adulthood does not signify the death of joy or hope.
Matthew Young, public affairs officer, Safe in the City.
