Salinger, J.D.: 1919 - 2010
Information about J.D. Salinger
- General Information
- Facts
- Full name: Jerome David Salinger
- He is from a well-to-do family on Park Avenue; New York. His father was the importer of kosher cheese. He was called "Sonny" as a boy and went off to prep school, was drafted in the Army and took part in the invasion of Normandy. His comrades considered him to be very brave - a genuine hero. He came back to New York where his early short stories appeared in Story magazine, Saturday Evening Post, Esquire and then, in The New Yorker with a story called "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" (1948). His first novel, "The Catcher in the Rye" (1951), was an immediate success.
From The Writer's Almanac - Short Biography
- Podcast
A look at Salinger's childhood and education - Podcast
J.D. Salinger was a complicated and problematic human - Timeline
- Articles
- Salinger's Daughter's Truths as Mesmerizing as His Fiction by Dinittia Smith. New York Times; August 30, 2000
- Anthony Mason looks back at the author who famously shunned the spotlight. CBS Sunday Morning; September 1, 2013
- Visit With J. D. Salinger, This article recounts how Betty Eppes, a reporter for The Baton Rouge Advocate, managed a brief interview with J. D. Salinger, which was later published in The Paris Review. The New York Times, September 11, 1981
- Where to Find the Sequel to 'The Catcher in the Rye'. In a rare interview, Salinger was quoted in the Boston Globe saying, " I write for myself and I want to be left absolutely alone to do it. . . . There's no more to Holden Caulfield. Read the book again. It's all there." The New York Times, July 8, 1980
- J. D. Salinger Speaks About His Silence. Salinger broke a public silence of more than 20 years, issuing a denunciation and revealing he is hard at work on writings that may never be published in his lifetime. The New York Times, November 3, 1974
- Who was J.D. Salinger? by Adam Gopnik. The New Yorker; September 5, 2013. See also the video at the bottom of this page.
- Love Letters Sold to Entrepreneur
- JD Salinger: Three Stories - review. The Guardian; December 2, 2013
- Photos
- This site does not support a secure connection meaning the information transmitted can be intercepted and read by third parties. This is used for general browsing of websites that do not require sensitive data transmission. You can access this site. - Audio (2.49)
Salinger: An Influential Voice. It's impossible to be an American writer now and not feel the influence of Holden and of Salinger generally. NPR Radio; January 29, 2010
- Obituaries
- J.D. Salinger, American Literary Icon, Dies at 91
- Audio (6:00)
J.D. Salinger Dies At 91. His most-famous work, The Catcher in the Rye, with its angst-filled protagonist, Holden Caulfield, inspired generations of teenagers. Later in his life, Salinger become famous for refusing interviews. NPR Radio; January 29, 2010 - J.D. Salinger died at age 91. Jonathan Safran Foer and Frank Portman talk about Salinger's legacy and how it inspired them. WNYC Radio, New York; January 29, 2010
- Audio (9:39)
The Voice Of Adolescent Angst Dies. NPR Radio; January 28, 2010 Transcript