John+Steinbeck

**JOHN STEINBECK** **1902-1968**

__Early Life __ **John St ****einbeck was born February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. John Steinbeck Sr. was his father, and he was a county treasurer. Olive Hamilton Steinb ****eck ****was his mother, and she w ****as a school teacher. John came fr ****o ** **m German and Irish an ****cestry. He spent most of his summers working on a ranc ****h. Also, he worked at a fish hatchery and as a tour guide. He lived in a small, rural town. Steinbeck graduated from Salinas High School in 1919. ****He attended Stanford University until 1925. **  __College Life __ John Steinbeck went to college at Stanford University. He was originally an English Major. In the early 1920's, he studied Marine Biology. Steinbeck met Edward Ricketts. Ricketts' views on interdependence influenced Steinbeck's thinking. The made an expedition to the Gulf of California. Later, he wrote a book from that experience called //The Sea of Cortez//. Steinbeck didn't graduate and left Stanford in 1925. After college, he left to pursue his writing career. He was unsuccessful in getting his work published, so he went back to California. __Death __ Steinbeck was diagnosed with a serious case of arteriosclerosis. He turned down bypass surgery in 1968. He died December 20, 1968 in New York. He was cremated and later buried in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas, CA. __<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Most Known Works __ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">In 1935, he published his first important work. The book was //Tortilla Flat//. The novel became a financial and critical success. Steinbeck's other works were in 1936 and 1937. //In Dubious Battle// and //Of Mice and// //Men// were both successful. In 1939, his masterpiece, //The// //Grapes of Wrath//, won the Pulitzer Prize. He became interested in Marine Biology and published a non-fiction book, //The Sea of Cortez// in 1941. In 1943, Steinbeck wrote an essay for the //New York Times//, called “The Making of a New Yorker." In 1945, the publication of //Cannery Row// made him long for his youth, which he had used as a background for the novel.   __<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Wives & Children __ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">John Steinbeck his first wife, Carol Henning, in 1930. She was his typist and editor for his early works. They divorced in 1943. Next, he married Gwendolyn Conger. They had two children together, Thomas and John IV. They divorced in 1948. Finally in 1950, he married Elaine Scott Anderson. They married within a week after her divorce with her former husband. Their marriage lasted until his death.  __<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Awards & D ____<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">edications __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Steinbeck was a private person who shunned publicity. He was awarded the No <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">bel Peace Prize in 1962 and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. A stamp was issued to him in 1979. A museum was dedicated to him in Salinas, CA. Also, a library, the Steinbeck Society of America, and a Scholastic Journal was dedicated to him. __<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Books __ //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Cup of Gold (1929), The Pastures of Heaven (1932), The Red Pony (1933), To A God Unknown (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), In Dubious Battle (1936), Nothing So Monstrous (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), The Long Valley (1938), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), The Forgotten Village (1941), The Sea of Cortez (1941), Bombs Away (1942), The Moon Is Down (1942), Cannery Row (1945), The Wayward Bus (1947), The Pearl (1948), A Russian Journal (1948), Burning Bright (1950), East of Eden (1952), Sweet Thursday // //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">(1954), The Short Reign of Pippin IV (1957), Once There Was A War (1958), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), Travels With Charley (1962), The World of Li'l Abner (with Charles Chaplin) (1965). //

__<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">References __

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