About
Jerome David Salinger, born in Manhattan in 1919, was an American author known for his novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951), which achieved worldwide success. After attending Valley Forge Military Academy, he published his first short stories in the 1940s. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and participated in the Normandy landings. His war experiences influenced his writing. He published several collections and stories in The New Yorker, then retired to New Hampshire in 1953, leading a reclusive life. He died in 2010.
* 1919-01-01 — † 2010-01-27
Major works
- The Catcher in the Rye (1951)novel
- Nine Stories (1953)short story collection
- Franny and Zooey (1961)short story collection
- Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963)short story collection
- Hapworth 16, 1924 (1965)novella
Key milestones
- 1944Lands on Utah Beach on D-Day and participates in the Battle of the Bulge.
- 1951Publication of his most famous novel, The Catcher in the Rye.
- 1953Moves to Cornish, New Hampshire, and adopts a reclusive lifestyle.
Themes
Alienation of adolescenceInnocence and its lossTrauma of warSpirituality and the search for meaCritique of American society
Sources: britannica.com · jewishvirtuallibrary.org
