JD Salinger Author Information
Real Name - correct answer ✔✔Jerome David Salinger
Mother - correct answer ✔✔He did not find out his mother wasn't Jewish until after his bar mitzvah
Nickname/ Parents religion issue - correct answer ✔✔He went by Jerry in school instead of David (his
family called him Sonny) because he did not want to sound Jewish. It was 1932; being half-Jewish was a
source of enormous conflict for Salinger.
The mixed marriage of his parents was highly controversial at that time
Camp - correct answer ✔✔When Salinger was 11, he attended an affluent summer camp, Camp
Wigwam, in Harrison Maine.
Salinger performed in at least 4 plays and was voted the most popular actor by counselors and fellow
campers. His father highly opposed to him acting
Military School/ New Nickname - correct answer ✔✔His parents finally settled on Valley Forge Military
Academy in Pennsylvania which became the model for Pencey Prep in the book.
He dropped the nickname "Sonny", thought 'David' sounded too Jewish and JD was too informal, so he
went by Jerry
Fencing - correct answer ✔✔Salinger was manager for the fencing team, just like Holden is in the book
Writing in HS - correct answer ✔✔His senior year he was the literary editor of the school's yearbook--
Crossed Sabres-- and he announced his intention to write for the prestigious New Yorker magazine
, After Graduation - correct answer ✔✔After graduating in 1936, he attended New York University but
dropped out in the spring- his father urged (forced) him to learn more about the meatpacking business
and in the fall he was sent to work at a company in Vienna, Austria
First Girlfriend - correct answer ✔✔While living with his parents, he started dating Oona O'Neil (he was
22 and she was 15) who was the daughter of famous playwright Eugene O'Neill, but he said the only real
person she loved was herself.
When he went to war, she ended up marrying Charlie Chaplin (she was 18 and he was 53). Her father
and Salinger never spoke to her again. She was supposed to have been the one true love and heart break
in his life
College attempt #2 - correct answer ✔✔made another attempt at college-- a small college in
Pennsylvania called Ursinis College-- where he was called "the worst English student in the history of the
college" by one of the professors.
He dropped out after one semester. He never graduated from any of the secondary schools he attended
Writing Class/ New Mentor - correct answer ✔✔He later enrolled in a short story creative writing course
at Columbia University that was taught bu Whit Burnett, the editor of Story magazine.
Burnett encouraged the young writer's career, and became a friend and mentor
First published piece - correct answer ✔✔Slainger published his piece of fiction, "The Young Folks" in
Story Magazine.
Burnett championed Salinger's writing and published other early stories of his in Story Magazine
Story accepted but not published - correct answer ✔✔After several rejection, The New Yorker finally
accepted one of Salinger's stories.
"Slight Rebellion Off Madison"
^^ first Salinger story to feature Holden Caulfield, a disaffected teen with pre-war jitters from an affluent
neighborhood and family who was weary of everything in life.Holden wants to run away and live in the
woods with his girlfriend Sally.
Real Name - correct answer ✔✔Jerome David Salinger
Mother - correct answer ✔✔He did not find out his mother wasn't Jewish until after his bar mitzvah
Nickname/ Parents religion issue - correct answer ✔✔He went by Jerry in school instead of David (his
family called him Sonny) because he did not want to sound Jewish. It was 1932; being half-Jewish was a
source of enormous conflict for Salinger.
The mixed marriage of his parents was highly controversial at that time
Camp - correct answer ✔✔When Salinger was 11, he attended an affluent summer camp, Camp
Wigwam, in Harrison Maine.
Salinger performed in at least 4 plays and was voted the most popular actor by counselors and fellow
campers. His father highly opposed to him acting
Military School/ New Nickname - correct answer ✔✔His parents finally settled on Valley Forge Military
Academy in Pennsylvania which became the model for Pencey Prep in the book.
He dropped the nickname "Sonny", thought 'David' sounded too Jewish and JD was too informal, so he
went by Jerry
Fencing - correct answer ✔✔Salinger was manager for the fencing team, just like Holden is in the book
Writing in HS - correct answer ✔✔His senior year he was the literary editor of the school's yearbook--
Crossed Sabres-- and he announced his intention to write for the prestigious New Yorker magazine
, After Graduation - correct answer ✔✔After graduating in 1936, he attended New York University but
dropped out in the spring- his father urged (forced) him to learn more about the meatpacking business
and in the fall he was sent to work at a company in Vienna, Austria
First Girlfriend - correct answer ✔✔While living with his parents, he started dating Oona O'Neil (he was
22 and she was 15) who was the daughter of famous playwright Eugene O'Neill, but he said the only real
person she loved was herself.
When he went to war, she ended up marrying Charlie Chaplin (she was 18 and he was 53). Her father
and Salinger never spoke to her again. She was supposed to have been the one true love and heart break
in his life
College attempt #2 - correct answer ✔✔made another attempt at college-- a small college in
Pennsylvania called Ursinis College-- where he was called "the worst English student in the history of the
college" by one of the professors.
He dropped out after one semester. He never graduated from any of the secondary schools he attended
Writing Class/ New Mentor - correct answer ✔✔He later enrolled in a short story creative writing course
at Columbia University that was taught bu Whit Burnett, the editor of Story magazine.
Burnett encouraged the young writer's career, and became a friend and mentor
First published piece - correct answer ✔✔Slainger published his piece of fiction, "The Young Folks" in
Story Magazine.
Burnett championed Salinger's writing and published other early stories of his in Story Magazine
Story accepted but not published - correct answer ✔✔After several rejection, The New Yorker finally
accepted one of Salinger's stories.
"Slight Rebellion Off Madison"
^^ first Salinger story to feature Holden Caulfield, a disaffected teen with pre-war jitters from an affluent
neighborhood and family who was weary of everything in life.Holden wants to run away and live in the
woods with his girlfriend Sally.
