Jerome David Salinger

Jerome David Salinger is a renowned American novelist, short story writer and playwright. His most famous works, including The Catcher in the Rye, are often studied in high school literature classes.

Salinger was born in New York City on January 1, 1919. He was raised mostly in nearby Manhattan, but also spent summers with his family at a lake house in upstate New York. It was here, as a young boy, that Salinger developed his love of nature and writing.

Salinger attended several private schools before eventually graduating from Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. It was at this school, in 1937, that his first story was published in the campus magazine. After graduation, Salinger studied briefly at Ursinus College near Philadelphia, and then New York University, before abandoning academics in favor of pursuing a writing career.

From 1939 to 1942, Salinger wrote short stories for various well-known publications, some of which were later anthologized in his collection, Nine Stories. His 1945 story, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” published in The New Yorker, got Salinger’s critical acclaim for his unique insight into the lives of the post-war people, known as “the lost generation.”

In 1951, Salinger published his now-famous coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye. The novel tells the story of Holden Caulfield, a 16-year-old boy, who runs away from school and goes on a journey of self-discovery in New York City. The book quickly became a classic, and is often considered one of the most important books of the 20th century.

In the years that followed, Salinger continued to write but chose to remain out of the public eye. His last collection of stories, Franny and Zooey, was published in 1961 but his other works, including the novella, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, remained unpublished at the time of his death.

Salinger was known to be a recluse, spending much of his life in seclusion. His death in 2010 at the age of 91 did little to quell questions about his manuscripts which remained locked away in a safe deposit box until their recent auction.

Jerome David Salinger is renowned for his works and his particular insight into the American experience. His books have touched the hearts of generations and remain an important literary tradition today.