John Steinbeck Life and Works

John Steinbeck Life and Works: 

John Steinbeck Life and Works February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968

John Steinbeck: 

John Steinbeck One of the best known and most widely read American writers of the 20th century. Steinbeck wrote in the naturalist style, portraying people as the center of his stories.

John Steinbeck: 

John Steinbeck His people and his stories were taken from real life struggles in the first half of the 20th century. His body of work reflects his wide range of interests, including marine biology, jazz, politics, philosophy, history, and myth.

Born and Raised: 

Born and Raised February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California Son of John Ernst Steinbeck III and Olive Steinbeck. One of four children (3 sisters)

Education: 

Education Enrolled at Stanford University in 1919. Attended off and on until 1925.

Family: 

Family Married Carol Henning in 1930 Gwyndolyn Conger who gave him 2 children; Thomas Myles Steinbeck was born in 1944 and his second son, John Steinbeck IV was born in 1946. Married Elaine Scott in 1950

Early Works: 

Early Works Steinbeck's first novel, published in 1929, was the unsuccessful mythological work Cup of Gold . Steinbeck achieved his first critical success with the novel Tortilla Flat (1935), which won the California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal.

Tortilla Flat: 

Tortilla Flat The story of the adventures of young men in Monterey during the Great Depression was made into a film of the same name in 1942, starring Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr, and John Garfield.

California Novels and Dust-Bowl Fiction: 

California Novels and Dust-Bowl Fiction Set among common people in the Great Depression. Of Mice and Men , his novella about the dreams of a pair of migrant laborers working the California soil.

Of Mice and Men : 

Of Mice and Men Broadway producer Sam H. Harris approached Steinbeck to adapt his novella as a stage play, although Steinbeck had no previous experience as a playwright. The stage adaptation was a smash hit, starring Broderick Crawford as “Lennie” and Wallace Ford as Lennie's companion, "George".

Of Mice and Men: 

Of Mice and Men Steinbeck refused to travel from his home in California to attend any performance of the play during its New York run, telling Kaufman that the play as it existed in his own mind was "perfect", and that anything presented onstage would inevitably be a disappointment. The play was rapidly adapted into a 1939 Hollywood film, in which Lon Chaney Jr. played "Lennie" and Burgess Meredith was cast as “George”.

The Grapes of Wrath: 

The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck followed this wave of success with The Grapes of Wrath (1939), based on newspaper articles he had written in San Francisco, and considered by many to be his finest work.

The Grapes of Wrath: 

The Grapes of Wrath The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1940. It was made into a famous film version starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford.

Film Versions: 

Film Versions The film versions of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men (by two different movie studios) were in production simultaneously, and Steinbeck spent a full day on the set of The Grapes of Wrath , then the next day on the set of Of Mice and Men .

Controversy: 

Controversy Steinbeck's liberal political views, portrayal of the ugly side of capitalism, and mythical reinterpretation of the historical events of the Dust Bowl migrations led to backlash against the author, especially close to home. The Grapes of Wrath was banned from the Salinas County public schools and libraries in August 1939, lasting until January 1941.

The Log from the Sea of Cortez: 

The Log from the Sea of Cortez In 1940, Steinbeck's interest in marine biology led him to voyage in the Gulf of California, where he collected biological specimens. The account of this trip was later published as The Log from the Sea of Cortez , and describes the daily experiences of the trip.

Other Written Works: 

Other Written Works During the Second World War, Steinbeck served as a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune . Some of his writings from his correspondence days were later collected and made into Once There Was A War (1958).

Steinbeck’s Contribution to Film: 

Steinbeck’s Contribution to Film He continued to work in film, writing Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944), and the film A Medal for Benny (1945). His novel The Moon is Down (1942) became a film immediately. He wrote The Pearl (1947), already knowing it would be filmed, and traveled to Mexico for the filming

East of Eden: 

East of Eden Steinbeck wrote one of his most popular novels, East of Eden in 1952. Collaborated on the theatrical production of East of Eden , James Dean's film debut.

Awards and Honors: 

Awards and Honors Seventeen of his works, went on to become Hollywood films. Steinbeck achieved success as a Hollywood writer, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing for Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat, in 1945.

Awards and Honors: 

Awards and Honors In 1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his “realistic and imaginative writing, combining as it does sympathetic humor and keen social perception.” Won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 for The Grapes of Wrath.

The Legacy of Steinbeck: 

The Legacy of Steinbeck "His place in [U.S.] literature is secure. And it lives on in the works of innumerable writers who learned from him how to present the forgotten man unforgettably.“ Steinbeck's works are frequently included on required reading lists in American high schools.