John Steinbeck
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John Steinbeck American Writer
Transcript of John Steinbeck
Early years Born February 27, 1902
Salinas, California
Dad was county treasurer
Mom was a former school
teacher
Early years During summers he
worked as a hired hand
on nearby ranches
He “studied” his fellow
workers and the
countryside during
these experiences.
Education Graduated Salinas
High School 1919
Attended Stanford
Spotty attendance
in college
Didn’t earn a
degree.
College years
•Did odd jobs during
college
•Pursued a program of
“independent study”
•Left college to go to
New York
New York years
•Did not succeed
in getting anything
published
•Came back to
California in late
1920s.
Return to California
Steinbeck worked as a
laborer and journalist
and as a caretaker for
a Lake Tahoe estate.
Published works•Cup of Gold
•Of Mice and Men
•The Pearl
•Tortilla Flat
•Cannery Row
•Grapes of Wrath
•In Dubious Battle
•Many others
Subject of works
Most famous work (Grapes of Wrath)
discusses farmers’ plight during Dust
Bowl and Great Depression
Subject matter for works
Steinbeck wrote
about workers’
rights, especially
among farm
workers.
Subject matter for works
Steinbeck wrote regional novels about the places he knew, such as Cannery Row in California
Subject matter for works Steinbeck also had
a passion for the
environment,
especially marine
life.
Subject matter for works
In his later years, he
traveled around the
U.S. with his dog and
wrote a book called
Travels with Charley in
Search of America.
Awards and honors Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962
Family life and legacy Died December 20, 1968
He was married
three times
He had two sons
