Short biography john steinbeck

Despite working full time, inhe was able to get his first novel, Cup of Goldpublished. However, after a few years, Steinbeck received some financial support from his father, this allowed him to give up his full-time job. He also married Carol Henning in The novel was set in Monterey after World War One and portrays a bunch of homeless and classless men who reject the social mores of society.

This novel was his first major breakthrough and gave him the financial income and confidence to pursue writing other novels. This period led to some of his most productive writing years. Of Mice and Men was a short story about two migrant workers, George Milton and the mentally retarded Lennie Small who seek employment during the Great Depression.

The Grapes of Wrath is a deeper discussion of the social, economic and cultural implications of the Great Depression. It focuses on a family of poor tenant farmers and their difficulties during the Great Depression; it offers a sympathetic account of migrant workers and is critical of capitalism. The Grapes of Wrath became the best selling book ofand it led to Steinbeck being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Both books captured the despair and personal cost of the Great Depression, and have become a classic literary account of this period. Influences Influences. Brief Biography of John Steinbeck. Jump to:. Classroom Connections. Upon returning home, Steinbeck was confronted by Gwyn, who asked for a divorce, which became final in October. Steinbeck spent the year after Ricketts's death in deep depression.

Steinbeck and Scott eventually began a relationship, and in December they married, within a week of Scott's finalizing her own divorce from actor Zachary Scott. This third marriage for Steinbeck lasted until his death in Steinbeck was an acquaintance of modernist poet Robinson Jeffersa Californian neighbor. In a letter to Elizabeth Otis, Steinbeck wrote: "Robinson Jeffers and his wife came in to call the other day.

He looks a little older but that is all. And she is just the same. InSteinbeck began acting as friend and mentor to the young writer and naturalist Jack Rudloewho was trying to establish his own biological supply company, now Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory in Florida.

Short biography john steinbeck

Their correspondence continued until Steinbeck's death. In FebruarySteinbeck and his wife traveled to Israel. John Steinbeck died in New York City, where his writing career had begun, on December 20,during the flu pandemic of heart disease and congestive heart failure. He was 66, and had been a lifelong smoker. An autopsy showed nearly complete occlusion of the main coronary arteries.

In accordance with his wishes, his body was cremated, and interred on March 4, [ 56 ] at the Hamilton family gravesite in Salinas, with those of his parents and maternal grandparents. His third wife, Elaine, was buried in the plot in He had written to his doctor that he felt deeply "in his flesh" that he would not survive his physical death, and that the biological end of his life was the final end to it.

Many of Steinbeck's works are required reading in American high schools. The Grapes of Wrath was banned in August by the Kern County Board of Supervisors from the county's publicly funded schools and libraries. Steinbeck grew up in California's Salinas Valley, a culturally diverse place with a rich migratory and immigrant history. This upbringing imparted a regionalistic flavor to his writing, giving many of his works a distinct sense of place.

The area is now sometimes referred to as "Steinbeck Country". In his subsequent novels, Steinbeck found a more authentic voice by drawing upon direct memories of his life in California. Later he used actual American conditions and events in the first half of the 20th century, which he had experienced first-hand as a reporter. Steinbeck often populated his stories with struggling characters; his works examined the lives of the working class and migrant workers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

His later work reflected his wide range of interests, including marine biologypolitics, religion, history and mythology. One of his last published works was Travels with Charleya travelogue of a road trip he took in to rediscover America. Steinbeck's boyhood homea turreted Victorian building in downtown Salinas, has been preserved and restored by the Valley Guild, a nonprofit organization.

Fixed menu lunches are served Monday through Saturday, and the house is open for tours on Sunday afternoons during the summer. Dana Gioia chair of the National Endowment for the Arts told an audience at the center, "This is really the best modern literary shrine in the country, and I've seen them all. His father's cottage on Eleventh Street in Pacific Grove, where Steinbeck wrote some of his earliest books, also survives.

In Monterey, Ed Ricketts's laboratory survives though it is not yet open to the publicand at the corner that Steinbeck describes in Cannery Rowalso the store that once belonged to Lee Chong and the adjacent vacant lot frequented by the hoboes of Cannery Row. Inthe street that Steinbeck described as "Cannery Row" in the novel, once named Ocean View Avenue, was renamed Cannery Row in honor of the novel.

The town of Monterey has commemorated Steinbeck's work with an avenue of flags depicting characters from Cannery Rowhistorical plaques, and sculptured busts depicting Steinbeck and Ricketts. On February 27, the 77th anniversary of the writer's birththe United States Postal Service issued a stamp featuring Steinbeck, starting the Postal Service's Literary Arts series honoring American writers.

Monterey Bay Roller Derby was founded in Their juniors league was known as the Dread Ponies. To commemorate the th anniversary of Steinbeck's birthday on February 27,Google displayed an interactive doodle utilizing animation which included illustrations portraying scenes and quotes from several novels by the author. In FebruaryCaltrans installed signage to identify a five-mile segment of U.

Route in Salinas as the John Steinbeck Highway, in accordance with a state legislative resolution. In the Sag Harbor town board approved the creation of the John Steinbeck Waterfront Park across from the iconic town windmill. The structures on the parcel were demolished and park benches installed near the beach. The Beebe windmill replica already had a plaque memorializing the author who wrote from a small hut overlooking the cove during his sojourn in the literary haven.

Steinbeck was affiliated to the St. Paul's Episcopal Church and he stayed attached throughout his life to Episcopalianism although Steinbeck later became agnostic. The shaping of his characters often drew on the Bible and the theology of Anglicanismcombining elements of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Steinbeck distanced himself from religious views when he left Salinas for Stanford.

However, the work he produced still reflected the language of his childhood at Salinas, and his beliefs remained a powerful influence within his fiction and non-fiction work. William Ray considered his Episcopal views are prominently displayed in The Grapes of Wrathin which themes of conversion and self-sacrifice play a major part in the characters Casy and Tom, who achieve spiritual transcendence through conversion.

Steinbeck's contacts with leftist authors, journalists, and labor union figures may have influenced his writing. He joined the League of American Writersa Communist organization, in Documents released by the Central Intelligence Agency in indicate that Steinbeck offered his services to the Agency inwhile planning a European tour, and the Director of Central Intelligence, Walter Bedell Smithwas eager to take him up on the offer.

Consequently, they watched Steinbeck short biography john steinbeck and solicited information about him from their informers. Steinbeck was a close associate of playwright Arthur Miller. In JuneSteinbeck took a personal and professional risk by supporting him when Miller refused to name names in the House Un-American Activities Committee trials.

During his visit he sat for a rare portrait by painter Martiros Saryan and visited Geghard Monastery. He also met with Armenian poet Hovhannes Shiraz in Yerevan. Steinbeck's letter of thanks for Shiraz's hospitality is now displayed at the Shiraz house museum in Gyumri. Inwhen he was sent to Vietnam to report on the warhis sympathetic portrayal of the United States Army led the New York Post to denounce him for betraying his leftist past.

Johnson [ 83 ] influenced his views on Vietnam. Steinbeck complained publicly about government harassment. Edgar Hooverthe director of the FBI at the time, could find no basis for prosecuting Steinbeck and therefore used his power to encourage the U. Internal Revenue Service to audit Steinbeck's taxes every single year of his life, just to annoy him.

According to Thomas, a true artist is one who "without a thought for self, stands up against the stones of condemnation, and speaks for those who are given no real voice in the halls of justice, or the halls of government. By doing so, these people will naturally become the enemies of the political status quo. They think I am an enemy alien.

It is getting tiresome. Steinbeck's first commercial success, published inis an episodic fiction recounting adventures of a loosely attached group of delinquent locals in a shabby coastal district of California. Like other books of Steinbeck's, Tortilla Flat was adapted into a feature film. This first novel tells the story of a fruit pickers' strike in California which is both aided and damaged by the help of "the Party", generally taken to be the Communist Partyalthough this is never spelled out in the book.

Of Mice and Men is a tragic novel that Steinbeck rewrote as a play that same year. As it is set in s America, it provides an insight into The Great Depression, encompassing themes of racism, loneliness, prejudice against the mentally ill, and the struggle for personal independence. The Grapes of Wrath was published during the Great Depression and had a contemporary setting, describing a family of sharecroppersthe Joads, who were short biography john steinbeck from their land by the dust storms of the Dust Bowl.

The title is a reference to the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Some critics found it too sympathetic to the workers' plight and too critical of capitalism, [ 93 ] but it found a large audience of its own. The novel tells of a marine biologist in a seedy district dotted with sardine canneries in Monterey, Californiawho is feted by colorful neighbors in gratitude for his kindness to them.

Cannery Row and its sequel, Sweet Thursdaywere adapted into a movie in Steinbeck deals with the nature of good and evil in this Salinas Valley saga. The story follows two families: the Hamiltons — based on Steinbeck's own maternal ancestry [ 94 ] — and the Trasks, reprising stories about the biblical Adam and his progeny. His paternal ancestry is also reflected in the story.

Portions of the novel were made into a movie directed by Elia Kazan and starring James Dean. InSteinbeck bought a pickup truck and had it modified with a custom-built camper top — which was rare at the time — and drove across the United States with his faithful "blue" standard poodleCharley. Steinbeck nicknamed his truck Rocinante after Don Quixote 's "noble steed".

In this sometimes comical, sometimes melancholic book, Steinbeck describes what he sees as he travels from Maine to Montana to California, and from short biography john steinbeck to Texas and Louisiana and back to his home on Long Island. However, inafter his death, a reporter who had followed Travels with Charley ' s trail using the author's own diaries controverted the book's accuracy, casting Steinbeck's claimed reportage as largely fictionalized, allegations supported by scholars and Steinbeck's son John.

The restored camper truck is on exhibit in the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. American writer — For other people with this surname, see Steinbeck surname.

Novelist short story writer war correspondent. Carol Henning. Gwyn Conger. Elaine Scott. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Main article: Nobel Prize in Literature. Main article: Tortilla Flat.

Main article: In Dubious Battle. Main article: Of Mice and Men. Main article: The Grapes of Wrath. Main article: Cannery Row. Main article: East of Eden novel. InSteinbeck met and married his first wife, Carol Henning. Over the following decade, he poured himself into his writing with Carol's support and paycheck, until the couple divorced in Steinbeck was married to his second wife, Gwyndolyn Conger, from to The couple had two sons together, Thomas born and John born InSteinbeck wed his third wife, Elaine Anderson Scott.

The couple remained together until his death in Steinbeck died of heart disease on December 20,at his home in New York City. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! The Biography. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications.

Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. Nikki Giovanni. How Did Shakespeare Die? A Huge Shakespeare Mystery, Solved. Shakespeare Wrote 3 Tragedies in Turbulent Times.

The Mystery of Shakespeare's Life and Death. William Shakespeare. Wives and Children Steinbeck was married three times and had two sons.