Salinger was the son of Sol Salinger, a cheese importer, and Miriam Salinger. He attended the McBurney School and then Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, graduating in 1936. Brief stints at New York University and Ursinus College preceded a short-story writing course at Columbia University taught by Whit Burnett, an editor who encouraged his early fiction.
By the early 1940s Salinger had begun placing short stories in magazines, including Story. During World War II he served in the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, landed in Normandy on D-Day, and saw combat across Europe; the experience affected him deeply, and he was treated for combat fatigue. After the war, A Perfect Day for Bananafish appeared in The New Yorker in 1948, introducing Seymour Glass and the fictional family that would occupy much of his later work.
The Catcher in the Rye, published in 1951, follows teenager Holden Caulfield through a few days in New York City after he leaves Pencey Prep. The novel's colloquial voice and critique of adult hypocrisy struck a chord with readers and made Salinger famous. He followed it with Nine Stories (1953), Franny and Zooey (1961), and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963), works that deepened his portrait of the Glass family and explored spiritual and psychological themes.
In 1953 Salinger moved to Cornish, New Hampshire, where he lived with increasing seclusion. He published Hapworth 16, 1924 in The New Yorker in 1965 and afterward withdrew from publishing. His guarded privacy and legal efforts to block unauthorized biographies and a proposed sequel added to his reputation for reclusiveness. Salinger died in 2010.
Jerome Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 in New York City, New York, United States. In Cardology (Destiny Cards), January 1, 1919 corresponds to the King of Spades, making the King of Spades his Birth Card.
In numerology, the name adds another layer to the birth-date profile. The letters of a person’s name are used to explore inner motivation, personality, expression, and the qualities they bring into relationships and everyday life. Explore how his original name Jerome David Salinger influences his life and personality.
Famous Capricorn People
Discover famous Capricorn people, from actors and musicians to writers, athletes, and historical figures. Explore their birthdays and biographies, and see who shares the Capricorn zodiac sign.
