Jerome David Salinger (/ˈsælɪndʒər/; January 1, 1919 – January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in Story magazine. In 1948, his critically acclaimed story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" appeared in The New Yorker, which published much of his later work.