J.d. Salinger Biography and latest books by J.d. Salinger

Jerome David Salinger was born in New York in 1920. He is immensely popular for his ‘coming of age’ novel Catcher in the Rye and for his detached lifestyle. He grew up in Manhattan and began to write stories while he was still in school. He published his early stories in the Story magazine which was started by Whit Burnett. He became famous with his story A Perfect Day for Bananafish which was published in the New Yorker magazine.

The Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951 and it immediately became popular. The character of Holden Caulfield in the book was something most adolescents have always been able to identify themselves with and this book became controversial. Salinger became much of a recluse and he wrote Nine Stories, Franny and Zooey, Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, Raise High the Roof-Beam, Carpenters, and Seymour: An Introduction.

Salinger studied at the McBurney School, a private school in Manhattan. He was an average student and his grades were disastrous which finally led to his expulsion. However while he was still at McBurney, he participated in drama productions and was part of the fencing team. He also wrote for the school newspaper.  His parents sent him to Valley Forge Military Academy, Wayne, Florida where he began to write stories.  He went to study special education at the University of New York; however he dropped out.

After a stint at the meat importing industry in Austria, Salinger returned to the States and turned to writing.