John Steinbeck
• He was born February 27th, 1902 in Salinas, California.
• His mother, Olive Hamilton, was a school teacher.
• His father, John Ernst Steinbeck, was a manager at a flour mill.
• He was the only boy, and had 2 older sisters and 1 younger sister.
• Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, and enjoyed a normal childhood, but the family had some financial problems when he was a teen.
• Steinbeck’s father lost his job, then tried to open a feed and grain store, but that went out of business.
• Steinbeck’s interest in writing started early with the school newspaper and writing little stories at home.
• In 1919, Steinbeck left for Stanford University.
• He was born February 27th, 1902 in Salinas,
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• He was the only boy, and had 2 older sisters and 1 younger sister.
• Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, and enjoyed a normal childhood, but the family had some financial problems when he was a teen.
• Steinbeck’s father lost his job, then tried to open a feed and grain store, but that went out of business.
• Steinbeck’s interest in writing started early with the school newspaper and writing little stories at home.
• In 1919, Steinbeck left for Stanford University.
• In the late 1930’s Steinbeck wrote three books, that were all about worker’s issues in California.
• These three books were In Dubious Battle, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath.
• The Grapes of Wrath was his best selling book with over 400,000 copies printed.
• This book won The National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
• It is also the most controversial and was banned from schools and libraries at the time.
• John Steinbeck wrote more than 25 novels from his first, Cup of Gold, in 1929 to his death in 1968 due to heart failure.
• Some of his more well-known books in addition to the three he wrote about California migrant worker’s problems in the 1930’s
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His interest in this time later influenced several of his books.
• Growing up in Salinas, Steinbeck became very familiar with the town, and the ranches that were outside the town. The settings of many of his books and the characters in them were based on his childhood in Salinas.
• Steinbeck worked for Spreckels Sugar Company during his time at Stanford in their labs and on their ranch. These experiences impacted his writing, particularly the realistic details he is able to provide about ranches and ranch hands.
• While living in his family’s Pacific Grove cottage, Steinbeck was influenced by the many canneries in the area.
• Later, as a reporter, Steinbeck made several trips to see migrant worker camps. These visits became the basis for The Grapes of Wrath.
• Every piece of John Steinbeck’s work is inspired by his life experiences, particularly his jobs as a laborer which helped him to understand their point of view.
• The area around Salinas and Pacific Grove are two key