John Steinbeck Biography Essay

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John Steinbeck Biography
John Steinbeck was a well known and important author and his works are still studied throughout the nation. He has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Award for his famous book Grapes of Wrath, and he won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for his other loved book Of Mice and Men. In addition to his successful career, he had an interesting life as well.
John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. His parents were Olive Hamilton Steinbeck and his father was John Ernst Steinbeck. His mother was a school teacher while his father maintained various jobs to sustain his family: a started a feed-and-grain store, managed a flour plant, and worked as treasurer of Monterey County. He grew up with three sisters and had a deep connection with them. …show more content…

During this job he met and married his first wife Carol Henning and wrote his first book Cup of Gold in 1929. In the next ten years, he devoted himself to writing with his wife’s support. Although his next two novels The Pastures of Heaven (1932) and To a God Unknown (1933) became widely known, it wasn’t till Tortilla Flat came out in 1935 that Steinbeck really hit off with his career. The write achieved more success with his novels In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Long Valley (1938) which were collections of short stories. Then came out Grapes of Wrath in 1935, where John Steinbeck really struck at the gold. This work of fiction is Steinbeck’s finest piece of writing and sold out 10,000 copies a week, ultimately leading him to win the Pulitzer Award in 1940. This book was widely read due to its bonding with the ongoing major problem; the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and migration. After experiencing some fame, Steinbeck decided to take a small