John Steinbeck (27 February, 1902 – 20 December, 1968) was a Noble Prize-winning American Author. To this day he is considered one of the giants of American literature.
Fun Facts about John Steinbeck:
1. John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, CA. John Ernst Steinbeck, his father, was Monterey County treasurer and his mother, Olive Hamilton was him the love of reading. school teacher who gave
2. Johann Adolf Großsteinbeck, the author’s grandfather, moved founded a farming colony under the Ottoman Empire in Palestine. The colony was short lived and he left to the United States in 1858 after Arab attackers killed his brother, and raped his sister-in-law and mother-in-law. This is when the family’s name was shortened to Steinbeck.
3. The family lived in a valley about 25 miles from the Pacific. Both settings would be pillars for his later work of fiction.
However, the farm he left in Heligenhaus is still named Großsteinbeck.
4. Young John Steinbeck spent his summers working on ranches in the area. There he realized the harsh life of migrants and the negative, and often hidden aspects of human nature.
5. After graduation from Salinas High School, Mr. Steinbeck went on to study English lit in Stanford. However, he did not graduate and moved to New York City working odd jobs as he was writing. Failing to sell any of his work, he returned to California and worked as a tour guide at Lake Tahoe. during that time, he met Carol Henning, who he married in January 10. The couple later divorced in 1940 after a decade of marriage. Steinbeck married Gwyndolyn Conger (Gwyn) two years later, they had two sons. A decade later, in 1950 he married his third wife Elaine Scott, this time it really was “”till death do us part”.
7. His first novel, Cup of Gold, was published in 1929 and is based (somewhat) on the life a Henry Morgan, a privateer. He wrote some more, including unpublished works and short stories including The Red Pony, a short childhood memoir.
8. His classic novel, Tortilla Flat, published in 1935 achieved critical success and won the California Commonwealth Club’s gold medal. Part of the book’s success was its timing, just in time to lift spirits during the depression. The book was adapted to a 1942 movie starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr. He used the profits to build his summer home in Los Gatos.
9. Of Mice and Men was originally written as a play about migrant workers in California working on farms. Mr. Steinbeck refused to go see the play performances, saying that It was “perfect” in his mind. This work was also made into a movie in 1939 starring Lon Chaney Jr. and Burgess Meredith who became close friends with the author. Another movie was made later, 1992, with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. On a roll, in 1939 came The Grapes of Wrath, selling 430,000 copies in one-year, winning prizes around the country including the Pulitzer. John Ford adapted the book to a motion picture starring Henry Fonda.
10. John Steinbeck wrote 33 books during his career. He wrote many books which are still considered classics today including Canary Row, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath, which is considered his masterpiece.
Zohar — Man of la Book
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Sources:
John Steinbeck | Wikipedia
John Steinbeck – Biographical | NobelPrize.org
John Steinbeck, American Writer | The Steinbeck Institute
