杰罗姆·大卫·塞林格一九一九年生于美国纽约城，父亲是做奶酪和火腿进口生意的犹太商人，家境相当富裕。塞林格十五岁的时候，被父母送到宾夕法尼亚州一个军事学校里住读，据说《麦田里的守望者》中关于寄宿学校的描写，很大部分是以那所学校为背景的。一九三六年，塞林格在军事学校毕业，取得了他毕生唯一的一张文凭。
从一九四零年在《小说》杂志上发表他的头一个短篇小说起，到一九五一年出版他的长篇小说《麦田里的守望者》止，在十余年中他共发表了二十多个短篇，有些短篇还在《老爷》、《纽约人》等著名刊物上发表，使他在文学界有了一点点名气。而《麦田里的守望者》则使他一举成名。主人公霍尔顿是当代美国文学中最早出现的反英雄形象，这一形象尤其得到青少年的普遍认同。一时间，就像模仿少年维特一样，模仿霍尔顿的言语行动和穿着，成了当时的一种时尚。此后他隐居到乡下，特地为自己造了一个只有一扇天窗的水泥斗室作书房，每天早晨八点半就带了饭盒入内写作，直到下午五点半才出来，家里任何人都不准进去打扰他；如有要事，只能用电话联系。他写作的过程据说还十分艰苦，从《麦田里的守望者》出版后，他写作的进度越来越慢，十年只出版三个中篇和一个短篇，后来甚至不再发表作品。偶尔有幸见过他的人透露说，他脸上已“显出衰老的痕迹”。他业已完成的作品据说数量也很可观，只是他不肯拿出来发表。不少出版家都在打他的主意，甚至在计划如何等他死后去取得他全部著作的出版权，但至今除本书外，作者只出版过一个短篇集《九故事》(1953)和两个中篇集《弗兰尼与卓埃》(1961)及《木匠们，把屋梁升高；西摩；一个介绍》(1963)。
塞林格在欧洲期间曾经与一个女医生结婚，但不久便离异。1953年他与一个叫克莱尔·道格拉斯(Claire Douglas)的女学生相识，两人后来在1955年结婚，但是后来又离婚。1972年塞格林在一本杂志上看到一个名叫乔伊斯·梅纳德(Joyce Maynard)的耶鲁大学女学生的文章和照片，立即被她吸引，两人开始通信。两人的关系在十个月后破裂。
1999年，塞林格在34年没有发表任何作品后终于发表了新的长篇小说《哈普沃兹16，1924》。《哈普沃兹16，1924》最早是以短篇的形式出现在1965年的《纽约时报》上。塞林格将这部作品授权一个小出版公司，但是到现在他的作品都还没有出版。
二零一零年一月二十七日，塞林格在位于新罕布什尔州的家中逝世，享年九十一岁。
1、 Remember what should be remembered, and forget what should be forgotten. Alter what is changeable, and accept what is mutable.
记住该记住的，忘记该忘记的。改变能改变的，接受不能改变的。
2、 Apart from tears, only time could wear everything away. While feeling is being processed by time, conflicts would be reconciled as time goes by, just like a cup of tea that is being continuously diluted.
能冲刷一切的除了眼泪，就是时间，以时间来推移感情，时间越长，冲突越淡，仿佛不断稀释的茶。
3、 Complaints are the greatest offerings that God obtains from human beings, as well as the most faithful prayers human beings might utter to God.
怨言是上天得至人类最大的供物，也是人类祷告中最真诚的部分。
4、 Wisdom appears in contradiction to itself, which is a trick life plays on philosophy of life.
智慧的代价是矛盾。这是人生对人生观开的玩笑。
5、 Girls always look on themselves as proud princesses, with the exception of a small number of either extremely ugly or exceedingly smart ones.
世上的姑娘总以为自己是骄傲的公主（除了少数极丑和少数极聪明的姑娘例外）
6、 It can be inferred that you lack confidence in a victory over your rivals from the fact that you’re irritable against them.
如果敌人让你生气，那说明你还没有胜他的把握。
7、 From that you would get angry with your friends, we can conclude you still care about the friendship between you.
如果朋友让你生气，那说明你仍然在意他的友情。
8、 Some may be wicked, and some may be despicable. Only when I put myself in their position did I know they are more miserable than I. So forgive all that you have met, no matter what kind of persons they are.
也许有些人很可恶，有些人很卑鄙。而当我设身为他想象的时候，我才知道：他比我还可怜。所以请原谅所有你见过的人，好人或者坏人。
9、 "You couldn't see my tears cause I am in the water." Fish said to water."But I could feel your tears cause you are in me." Answered water.
鱼对水说你看不到我的眼泪，因为我在水里。水说我能感觉到你的眼泪，因为你在我心里。
10、 Happiness is accompanied by sorrow, and it would turn sunny after rain as well. If rain remains after rain and sorrow remains after sorrow, please take those farewells easy, and turn to smilingly look for yourself who is never to appear.
快乐要有悲伤作陪，雨过应该就有天晴。如果雨后还是雨，如果忧伤之后还是忧伤，请让我们从容面对这离别之后的离别。 微笑地去寻找一个不可能出现的你！
11、 Like the outcome after an exam, death makes us aware of anything, That is, it's too late to take atumble.
死亡教会人一切，如同考试之后公布的结果？虽然恍然大悟，但为时晚矣！
12、 When you were born, you're crying but lookers-on were smiling. When you are passing away, you're smiling but lookers-on are crying.
你出生的时候，你哭着，周围的人笑着；你逝去的时候，你笑着，而周围的人在哭！
13、 Man might think that few women fit him before his marriage, and contrarily when they get married.
男人在结婚前觉得适合自己的女人很少，结婚后觉得适合自己的女人很多。
14、 Among thousands of people, you meet those you've met. Through thousands of years, with the boundlessness of time, you happen to meet them, neither earlier nor a bit too late.
于千万人之中，遇见你所遇见的人；于千万年之中，时间的无涯荒野里，没有早一步，也没有晚一步，刚巧赶上了。
15、 Everyone has his inherent ability（ power or capacity?） which is easily concealed by habbits, blurred by time, and eroded by laziness（ or inertia）。
每个人都有潜在的能量，只是很容易：被习惯所掩盖，被时间所迷离，被惰性所消磨。
16、 Be sure that you have never had any regrets in your life which only lasts for a few decades. Laugh or cry as you like, and it's meaningless to oppress yourself.
人生短短几十年，不要给自己留下了什么遗憾，想笑就笑，想哭就哭，该爱的时候就去爱，无谓压抑自己。
17、 A true love is what doesn't strive for busyness, for extravagance, for luxury, and moreover forhokum.
真正的爱情是不讲究热闹不讲究排场不讲究繁华更不讲究嚎头的。
18、 It's true that we have been leading a difficult life, for we need not only to be under various external pressures, but also to be in the face of internal perplexities. You would be affected by the warmth of life if someone gives you a understanding look during your bitter struggle.Even a mere glance would make you moved and inspired.
我们确实活得艰难，一要承受种种外部的压力，更要面对自己内心的困惑。在苦苦挣扎中，如果有人向你投以理解的目光，你会感到一种生命的暖意，或许仅有短暂的一瞥，就足以使我感奋不已。