Contents
John Steinbeck
Writing The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.
Of Mice and Men · The Grapes of Wrath
- Born
- 27 February 1902
- Birthplace
- Salinas, USA
- Died
- 20 December 1968
More people
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck was an American writer whose fiction often followed working people in California. His best-known novels connect intimate relationships with economic hardship and the search for a place to belong.
Early life
Salinas Valley
Grew up in the agricultural landscape that became central to his fiction.
Study and manual work
Attended Stanford intermittently and worked various jobs without completing a degree.
Career
- 1929
First novel
Published Cup of Gold after years of attempting to establish himself.
- 1930s
Literary breakthrough
Built a readership with stories of California communities and labour.
- 1940s
Reporting and travel
Worked as a war correspondent and wrote fiction and nonfiction.
- 1962
Nobel recognition
Received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Selected work
Of Mice and Men
Two migrant workers share a fragile hope of owning land.
The Grapes of Wrath
The Joad family leaves Oklahoma for an uncertain life in California.
East of Eden
A family saga set largely in the Salinas Valley.
Beyond work
Marine interests
His friendship with biologist Ed Ricketts led to a collecting expedition in the Gulf of California.
American journey
Travelled around the United States with his dog, later writing Travels with Charley.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: McFadden Publications, Inc.; no photographer credited; photo likely the work of Sonya Noskowiak, as Steinbeck is wearing the same clothes from her 1935 studio session that produced the work shown here: https://www.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2006.74. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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