J.D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger, better known as J.D. Salinger, is a very interesting man. Throughout his life he has created many works, mostly short stories, and only one of his works became a big success. His success came when The Catcher in the Rye was published. Even though Salinger has only had one major success, his influence speaks greatly.
On January 1, 1919 Jerome David Salinger was born in Manhattan, New York. He was born to his mother Marie Jillich and his father Sol Salinger. In his early years JD attended public school in Manhattan. It wasn’t until the 9th grade that he transferred to private school. He attended the McBurney School for his 9th and 10th grade years and then transferred to the Valley Forge Military Academy to finish high school. After high school Salinger enrolled in one semester at New York University. He liked school but his father wanted him to go to Vienna, Austria to study the meat packing business. Salinger went over to Austria and left a month before Hitler rose to power and Salinger was Jewish. When he returned home he studied at Ursinus College for a semester. Then he transferred to Columbia University where he took night classes. This is where he met his mentor, Whit Burnett. Whit guided Salinger through writing and played a big role in shaping Salinger’s life. Salinger went on to write 3 stories before he was drafted into the United States Army. Salinger was drafted into the 12th infantry regiment. He went on to fight at Utah Beach on D-Day and at the Battle of the Bulge. While overseas in the war Salinger met with Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway was a role model to Salinger and meeting him was a dream come true. Also, while overseas in the war Salinger met a German woman named Sylvia. He married her but the marriage was short lived and they separated 8 months later. When Salinger returned home he was hospitalized for combat stress reaction. Shortly after he was released he converted to Zen...