J.D. Salinger

Born January 1, 1919 in New York

Education

• Went to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania

• Attended Ursinus College in Pennsylvania

Professor Whit Burnett

• Salinger met Professor Whit Burnett at Colombia University in New York

• Burnett inspired Salinger to begin publishing articles to famous magazines Story, Collier’s, and Saturday Evening Post.

Army

• Served in the army for World War II from 1942-1944

• Participated in the Normandy Invasion and Battle of the Bulge during his service

Marriage

• Married Sylvia Welter in 1946• Salinger separated with Welter eight months

after their marriage

• In 1946 Salinger tried to publish a collection of 20 of Salinger’s short stories named The Young Folks

• The Young Folks failed to publish, and Burnett and Salinger ended their friendship

Bananafish

• Salinger’s story “A Perfect Day For Bananafish” was published in The New Yorker in 1947 which began his fame

• Salinger published seven separate short stories about the Glasses, a family from “A Perfect Day For Bananafish”

Film

• The film adaptation of Salinger’s story “Wiggily” was released in 1949 but negatively reviewed

Catcher and the rye

• In 1951, Salinger’s most famous book “The Catcher In The Rye” was published to sales success and neutral critical reviews

• “The Catcher In The Rye” eventually became very well-received and is now considered like a classic

Claire Douglas

• In 1955, Salinger married Claire Douglas • Salinger had two children with Douglas:

Margaret (1955) and Matthew (1960)

Salinger published Franny and Zooey (1961) and Rise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963)

Death

• Salinger died in 2010 at the age of 91