1. J.D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger
Born in Manhattan, New York on Jan. 1, 1919
Father, Sol Salinger –Jewish father of Polish descent
Mother, Marie Jillich, a half-Scottish, half-Irish Christian mother

2. Education
Valley Forge Military Academy – graduated in 1936 – interest in writing began as a teenager and he immersed himself in his work after graduation
New York University – attended, no degree
Columbia University – attended, no degree, however, he enrolled in a fiction-writing class instructed by Whit Burnett, an editor of Story Magazine, who appraised Salinger’s short story, “The Young Folks,” as a work of great talent and published it in 1940.

3. Next Seven Years
– staff sergeant for U.S. army, WWII, served overseas
Continue to be published in periodicals such as Colliers, Esquire, and The Saturday Evening Post
With the publication of ‘A Perfect Day for Bananafish” in 1948, his work appeared almost exclusively in The New Yorker: Why?
-Salinger had difficulty dealing with revisions other periodicals imposed on his work
-Salinger signed a contract allowing The New Yorker right of first refusal to any new work

4. Catcher in the Rye Released in 1951 Received mixed reviews
Salinger ultimately hailed as a brilliant writer who was keyed into the minds and emotions of adolescents with a crisp portrayal of realistic dialogue and a shrewd understanding of the tensions of life in post-WWII America.
Most ardent fans were college students living in the wake of WWII

5. Marriage 1988 – married Colleen O’Neill
– married briefly to Sylvia Welter, a German woman he met while working towards “de-Nazification”-soon dissolved- turbulent marriage
1955 – married Claire Douglass, had two children together, Margaret (1955), and Matt (1960)
Throughout this time, Salinger experimented with various spiritual paths, among them, Kriya Yoga and Christian Science
1988 – married Colleen O’Neill

6. 1960’s
Salinger grew increasingly reclusive, halting nearly all publication of his work, and retreating into his home in New Hampshire
His seclusion only heightened popular interest.

7. Last Formal Interview
1980 – his life came under speculation by fans and critics alike
Several Tell-All books were released:
In Search of J.D. Salinger: A Writing Life ( ) by Ian Hamilton (1988) – an unauthorized biography paraphrasing the contents of letters written by Salinger
At Home in the World: A Memoir (1999) written by Joyce Maynard (a woman 35 years his junior with whom he had a relationship in 1972
Dream Catcher: A Memoir – released in 2000, written by his daughter, Margaret Salinger

8. Collection of Short Stories
Three Collections:
Nine Stories (1953)
Franny and Zooey (1961)
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction (1963)

9. Novella
Hapworth 16, 1924 (1965)

10. Final Curtain - January 27, 2010
J. D. Salinger, Literary Recluse, Dies at 91
By CHARLES McGRATH
Published: January 28, 2010
J. D. Salinger, who was thought at one time to be the most important American writer to emerge since World War II but who then turned his back on success and adulation, becoming the Garbo of letters, famous for not wanting to be famous, died on Wednesday at his home in Cornish, N.H., where he had lived in seclusion for more than 50 years. He was 91.