America’s most famous recluse since Howard Hughes wanted to be known only for his writing. And not even for all his writing, but just the one novel and three story collections he allowed to remain in print. At a time when even literary artistes are expected to brand and market themselves as celebrities, Salinger took the royalties and ran. He refused to be the voice of a generation, or of anybody else.

I’d never bothered to read Catcher in the Rye until I was in my mid 20s. Yeah I was a loner and a book-nerd, but that still didn’t make me fully identify with that book’s troubled-rich-kid protagonist.

I did, however, enjoy the part where our antihero has to listen to two fast-talking square women gush about going to Radio City Music Hall, and how Salinger instantly described their unforgivable hickness by making them from Seattle.