Born in 1902 in the frontier settlement of Salinas, California, John Steinbeck began his life in a meager setting. His father was the treasurer for the county, and his mother was a school teacher before becoming pregnant. It was her love of words that fostered Steinbeck's natural abilities in writing. As he got older Steinbeck began taking jobs on farms and ranches in the area, often working alongside migrant workers.
Between 1919 and 1925, Steinbeck attended Stanford University without any sort of regularity, and eventually left for New York City in pursuit of a writing career. He held odd jobs here and there, never really finding success. In 1928 Steinbeck worked in Tahoe City as a tour guide and ended up meeting his future wife. When the Great Depression hit, Steinbeck's father permitted the newly married couple to live in a small cottage in Pacific Grove, California. He supplied Steinbeck with money and paper for his writing. The novel he would produce, Tortilla Flat, would eventually be published in 1935 and ensured the entire Steinbeck family (young and old) could build and inhabit a ranch home in Los Gatos.
The next novel to be published drew from his experiences with migrant workers as a teenager. Of Mice and Men went to press in 1937, closely followed by the famous novel The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. The following year Steinbeck joined a biologist friend in a sea voyage in the Gulf of California. The Log from the Sea of Cortez became the book to describe that trip, largely fueled by the natural environment and the demise of his marriage. By 1942 the book was published but Steinbeck was divorced. His biologist friend proved to be a lasting source of influence for Steinbeck, and from then on all of his works had a decidedly ecological theme to them.
After marrying for a second time, Steinbeck served as a World War II war correspondent. This last vocation was, understandably, a profound influence upon his writing. He wrote stories of European resistance, defiance and occupation. Controversy was, of course, plentiful when it came to The Moon is Down, The Pearl, and several screen plays specifically penned for Alfred Hitchcock. Unfortunately, upon returning to the US after the war, Steinbeck was suffering from both physical and psychological trauma. He immersed himself in writing as a sort of self-medication, and produced Cannery Row (1945), Lifeboat (1944) and A Medal for Benny (1945). Steinbeck's name is not found among the credits for the screenplay Lifeboat, as he requested to have his name removed. He felt the play had racial undertones that he did not wish to be associated with.
The latter part of Steinbeck's life is not glittery or celebratory, as it should have been for a writer of his caliber. There was another marriage, a divorce, and finally a third marriage to Elaine Scott. Steinbeck continued to write, but none of his works were met with the same respect as earlier compositions. Due to his political views and associations, Steinbeck received constant harassment from various government agencies, almost always encouraged by J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI. On top of it all, he was quite ill. As a life-long smoker, it was no surprise Steinbeck was constantly afflicted with respiratory infections. In 1962, the Nobel committee awarded Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1964 the United States government honored him with the United States Medal of Freedom. Just four years later Steinbeck died of heart disease and congestive heart failure.
Like many writers with vision, John Steinbeck did not thrive in an academic environment. His time at Stanford University was stunted, even boring for him. Yet the contributions he made to the literary world were timeless. Recognizing these influences, Stanford has established the Steinbeck Institute. The National Endowment for the Humanities sponsors the institute, along with private and academic sources, in its mission to "emphasize the importance of place in appreciating Steinbeck's work, with field studies" in and around California. The institute brings to light the real impact cultural and environmental misdoings had on Steinbeck and how he related them in his work. And so, John Steinbeck is known as the "voice of a region, voice for America" for good reason.
Between 1919 and 1925, Steinbeck attended Stanford University without any sort of regularity, and eventually left for New York City in pursuit of a writing career. He held odd jobs here and there, never really finding success. In 1928 Steinbeck worked in Tahoe City as a tour guide and ended up meeting his future wife. When the Great Depression hit, Steinbeck's father permitted the newly married couple to live in a small cottage in Pacific Grove, California. He supplied Steinbeck with money and paper for his writing. The novel he would produce, Tortilla Flat, would eventually be published in 1935 and ensured the entire Steinbeck family (young and old) could build and inhabit a ranch home in Los Gatos.
The next novel to be published drew from his experiences with migrant workers as a teenager. Of Mice and Men went to press in 1937, closely followed by the famous novel The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. The following year Steinbeck joined a biologist friend in a sea voyage in the Gulf of California. The Log from the Sea of Cortez became the book to describe that trip, largely fueled by the natural environment and the demise of his marriage. By 1942 the book was published but Steinbeck was divorced. His biologist friend proved to be a lasting source of influence for Steinbeck, and from then on all of his works had a decidedly ecological theme to them.
After marrying for a second time, Steinbeck served as a World War II war correspondent. This last vocation was, understandably, a profound influence upon his writing. He wrote stories of European resistance, defiance and occupation. Controversy was, of course, plentiful when it came to The Moon is Down, The Pearl, and several screen plays specifically penned for Alfred Hitchcock. Unfortunately, upon returning to the US after the war, Steinbeck was suffering from both physical and psychological trauma. He immersed himself in writing as a sort of self-medication, and produced Cannery Row (1945), Lifeboat (1944) and A Medal for Benny (1945). Steinbeck's name is not found among the credits for the screenplay Lifeboat, as he requested to have his name removed. He felt the play had racial undertones that he did not wish to be associated with.
The latter part of Steinbeck's life is not glittery or celebratory, as it should have been for a writer of his caliber. There was another marriage, a divorce, and finally a third marriage to Elaine Scott. Steinbeck continued to write, but none of his works were met with the same respect as earlier compositions. Due to his political views and associations, Steinbeck received constant harassment from various government agencies, almost always encouraged by J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI. On top of it all, he was quite ill. As a life-long smoker, it was no surprise Steinbeck was constantly afflicted with respiratory infections. In 1962, the Nobel committee awarded Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1964 the United States government honored him with the United States Medal of Freedom. Just four years later Steinbeck died of heart disease and congestive heart failure.
Like many writers with vision, John Steinbeck did not thrive in an academic environment. His time at Stanford University was stunted, even boring for him. Yet the contributions he made to the literary world were timeless. Recognizing these influences, Stanford has established the Steinbeck Institute. The National Endowment for the Humanities sponsors the institute, along with private and academic sources, in its mission to "emphasize the importance of place in appreciating Steinbeck's work, with field studies" in and around California. The institute brings to light the real impact cultural and environmental misdoings had on Steinbeck and how he related them in his work. And so, John Steinbeck is known as the "voice of a region, voice for America" for good reason.
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