John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck

  • Submitted By: ashjojo
  • Date Submitted: 03/25/2009 5:31 PM
  • Category: Biographies
  • Words: 473
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John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck III was one of the most well-known authors of the 1900s. He wrote many works, such as Of Mice and Men, and even wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath. In all, Steinbeck wrote 25 books, which included 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and many other works. Even though he died in 1968, his writings are still relevant, and studied, today.
John Steinbeck III was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. His father was the county treasurer, while his mother was a former school teacher. In the summer he would sometimes worked on ranches, supporting his impression of California’s countryside. Steinbeck graduated from Salinas’s high school in 1919, and then went to attend Stanford University. He tried for an English major at first, but later tried for independent study, and eventually left Stanford completely in 1925, bound for New York to pursue his writing career. Steinbeck tried to establish himself freelancing as writer in New York, but was unable to get any of his writing published, and eventually returned to California.
After returning to California in the year 19925, he published his first two literary novels, The Pastures of Heaven and to a God Unknown, but were both were rejected in the literary world. A year later, in 1930, Steinbeck proposed to Carol Henning, and the couple was married later that same year. After the two were married they moved to Pacific Grove. It was here that Steinbeck established his inspiration for one of his novels which he called Tortilla flat. When published in 1935, tortilla flat was a major turning point for Steinbeck’s career.
Tortilla Flat received the California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal for best novel by a California author. The success from this novel gave him the confidence he need to continue accomplishing his life-long dream; becoming a famous author. Continuing writing, he relied upon relying upon extensive research and...

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