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{{For|other members of the family|Steinbeck (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] -->
| name = John Steinbeck III
| awards = {{awd|[[Nobel Prize in Literature]]|1962}}
| image = JohnSteinbeck.JPG
| caption = Steinbeck (center), with his son,
visits President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
| birthdate = {{birth date|1902|2|27|mf=y}}
| birthplace = [[Salinas Valley]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| deathdate = {{death date and age|1968|12|20|1902|2|27|mf=y}}
| deathplace = [[New York, New York]], [[United States]]
| occupation = [[Novelist]], [[Short story writer]], [[War Correspondent]]
| notableworks = ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]''; ''[[Of Mice and Men]]''<ref>{{citation
| influences = [[Thomas Malory]][http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap7/steinbeck.html]
| url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/press.html
| title=The Nobel Prize in Literature 1962: Presentation Speech by Anders Österling, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy
| publisher=NobelPrize.org
| accessdate=2008-04-21
}}</ref>
}}

'''John Steinbeck III''' (February 27, 1902—December 20, 1968) was an [[American literature|American writer]]. He wrote the [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning [[novel]] ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'', published in 1939 and the [[novella]] ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'', published in 1937. In all, he wrote twenty-five books, including sixteen novels, six [[non-fiction]] books and several collections of short stories. In 1962 Steinbeck received the [[Nobel Prize for Literature]].

Steinbeck grew up in the [[Salinas Valley]] region of [[California]], a culturally diverse place of rich migratory and immigrant history. This upbringing imparted a regionalistic flavor to his writing, giving many of his works a distinct sense of place.<ref name="Biography" /><ref name="Bio" /> Steinbeck moved briefly to [[New York City]], but soon returned home to California to begin his career as a writer. Most of his earlier work dealt with subjects familiar to him from his formative years. An exception was his first novel ''[[Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, With Occasional Reference to History|Cup of Gold]]'' which concerns the pirate [[Henry Morgan]], whose adventures had captured Steinbeck's imagination as a child.

In his subsequent novels, Steinbeck found a more authentic voice by drawing upon direct memories of his life in California. Later he used real historical conditions and events in the first half of 20th century [[United States|America]], which he had experienced first-hand as a reporter. Steinbeck often populated his stories with struggling characters; his works examined the lives of the [[working class]] and [[migrant worker]]s during the [[Dust Bowl]] and the [[Great Depression]]. His later body of work reflected his wide range of interests, including [[marine biology]], [[politics]], [[religion]], [[history]], and [[mythology]]. One of his last published works was ''[[Travels with Charley]]'', a [[travelogue]] of a [[road trip]] he took in 1960 to rediscover America. He died in 1968 in New York of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] and his ashes are interred in [[Salinas, California|Salinas]].

Seventeen of his works, including ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1940), ''[[Cannery Row (novel)|Cannery Row]]'' (1945), ''[[The Pearl (novel)|The Pearl]]'' (1947), and ''[[East of Eden]]'' (1952), went on to become [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] films (some appeared multiple times, i.e., as remakes), and Steinbeck also achieved success as a [[Hollywood]] writer, receiving an [[Academy Award]] [[Academy Award for Best Story|nomination for Best Story]] in 1944 for [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[Lifeboat (film)|Lifeboat]]''.

== Early life ==

[[Image:SteinbeckHouse.jpg|thumb|The house in Salinas, California where John Steinbeck lived until he was 17 years old.]]

John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in [[Salinas, California]]. He was of [[German American]] and [[Irish American]] descent. Johann Adolf Großteinbeck (i.e. Grossteinbeck), Steinbeck's grandfather, changed the family name from Grossteinbeck to Steinbeck when he migrated to the [[United States]]. His father, John Steinbeck, Sr., served as the [[Monterey County]] [[Treasurer]] while his mother, Olive (Hamilton) Steinbeck, a former school [[teacher]], fostered Steinbeck's love of reading and writing.<ref name="NSC">[http://www.steinbeck.org/Bio.html National Steinbeck Centre, Biography Page], 2007</ref>

At the time of his childhood, Salinas was a small Californian [[town]]. Though growing larger, more prosperous, and modern, it was still essentially a rough-and-tumble [[frontier]] place, set amid some of the world's most fertile land.<ref name="Biography" /> Steinbeck spent his summers working on nearby ranches and later with migrants on the huge [[Spreckels]] ranch. During this time, Steinbeck became aware of the harsher aspects of the migrant life in the region and of the darker side of human nature-- material which was to be explored in works such as [[Of Mice and Men]].<ref name="Biography" /> He also explored the surrounding Salinas Valley, walking across local forests, fields and farms. This material was to provide background for most of his short stories.<ref name="Biography">Introduction to John Steinbeck, ''The Long Valley'', pages 9 - 10, John Timmerman, Penguin Publishing, 1995</ref>

Steinbeck graduated from Salinas High School in 1919. He then attended [[Stanford University]] intermittently until 1925, eventually leaving without a degree, as he disliked the university lifestyle. From Stanford, he traveled to [[New York City]] and held various temporary jobs while pursuing his dream as a writer. However, he was unable to get any of his work published and returned to California <ref name="NSC">http://www.steinbeck.org/Bio.html National Steinbeck Centre, Biography Page, 2007</ref> where for a time he was resort handyman in [[Lake Tahoe]].<ref>Introduction to 'The Grapes of Wrath' Penguin edition (1192) by Rober DeMott</ref>

== Work ==

In California he continued to write. His first novel, ''[[Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, With Occasional Reference to History|Cup of Gold]]'' was published in 1929. It is based on the privateer [[Henry Morgan]]'s life and death. It centers on Morgan's assault and sacking of the city of [[Panama]], sometimes referred to as the 'Cup of Gold', and the woman fairer than the sun reputed to be found there.<ref name="Bio" />

After ''Cup of Gold'' Steinbeck produced three shorter works between 1931 and 1933: ''[[The Pastures of Heaven]]'', published in 1932, consisted of twelve interconnected stories about a valley in [[Monterey, California]], which was discovered by a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[corporal]] while chasing runaway [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] [[slaves]]. In 1933 Steinbeck brought out two works: ''[[The Red Pony]]'' is a short 100-page, four-chapter story, which recollects memories from Steinbeck's childhood.<ref name="Bio" /> ''[[To a God Unknown]]'' follows the life of a [[homesteader]] and his family in [[California]], depicting a character with a primal and pagan worship of the land he works. He lived for many years in a cottage in [[Pacific Grove, California|Pacific Grove]] owned by his father, Ernest, who provided John paper on which to write his manuscripts.<ref>Jackson J. Benson, ''John Steinbeck, writer'' (New York: The Viking Press, 1984), pgs. 147, 651)</ref>

Steinbeck achieved his first critical success with the novel ''[[Tortilla Flat]]'' (1935), which won the California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal.<ref name="Bio" /> The book portrays the adventures of a young group of classless and usually homeless men in [[Monterey, CA|Monterey]], set in the era after World War I, just before U.S. [[prohibition]]. These characters, who are portrayed in ironic comparison to mythologic knights on a quest, reject nearly all of the standard morals of American society in enjoyment of a dissolute life centering around wine, lust, comradery, and petty thievery. The book was made into a film of the same name in 1942, starring [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Hedy Lamarr]], and [[John Garfield]].

== Critical success ==

[[Image:Steinbeck0103 148.jpg|thumb|Bust of John Steinbeck in Monterey, California]]

Steinbeck began to write a series of "California novels" and [[Dust Bowl]] fiction, set among common people during the [[Great Depression]]. These included ''[[In Dubious Battle]]'' in 1936, ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'' in 1937, and ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' in 1939.

''[[Of Mice and Men]]'' (1937), his [[novella]] about the dreams of a pair of migrant laborers working the California soil, was critically acclaimed.<ref name="Bio" />

The stage adaptation of ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'' was a hit, starring [[Broderick Crawford]] as the mentally child-like but physically powerful itinerant farmhand "Lennie," and [[Wallace Ford]] as Lennie's companion, "George." However, Steinbeck refused to travel from his home in California to attend any performance of the play during its [[New York City|New York]] run, telling Kaufman that the play as it existed in his own mind was "perfect" and that anything presented on stage would only be a disappointment. Steinbeck would write two more stage plays (''The Moon Is Down'' and ''Burning Bright'').

''Of Mice and Men'' was rapidly adapted into a 1939 [[Hollywood]] film, in which [[Lon Chaney, Jr.]] (who had portrayed the role in the Los Angeles production of the play) was cast as Lennie and [[Burgess Meredith]] as "George."<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031742/
| title=Of Mice and Men (1939)
| publisher=The Internet Movie Database
| accessdate=2007-10-10
}}</ref>
Steinbeck followed this wave of success with ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1939), based on newspaper articles he had written in San Francisco. The novel would be considered by many to be his finest work. It won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 1940, even as it was made into a notable film directed by [[John Ford]], starring [[Henry Fonda]] as Tom Joad, who was nominated for an Academy Award for the part.

The success of ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'', however, was not free of controversy, as 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.<ref>[http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/20/jun02/steinbeck.htm Steibeck backlash of his portrayal of the depression], New Criterion, Accessed 2007</ref> In fact, claiming the book was both [[obscene]] and misrepresented conditions in the county, the [[Kern County]] [[Board of Supervisors]] [[banned books|banned the book]] from the county's [[public school]]s and [[libraries]] in August 1939. This ban lasted until January 1941.<ref>[http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/banned.html Steinbecks works Banned], Accessed 2007</ref>

Of the controversy, Steinbeck wrote, "The [[insult|vilification]] of me out here from the large landowners and bankers is pretty bad. The latest is a rumor started by them that the [[Okie]]s hate me and have threatened to kill me for lying about them. I'm frightened at the rolling might<!-- OK here: don't correct it --> of this damned thing. It is completely out of hand; I mean a kind of hysteria about the book is growing that is not healthy."

The film versions of ''The Grapes of Wrath'' and ''Of Mice and Men'' (by two different movie studios) were in production simultaneously, allowing Steinbeck to spend a full day on the set of ''The Grapes of Wrath'' and the next day on the set of ''Of Mice and Men.''

== 1940s—1950s ==

In 1943, after thirteen years of marriage, Steinbeck divorced his first wife, Carol Henning. He married Gwyn Conger that same year, a union which produced Steinbeck's only children, [[Thomas Steinbeck|Thomas ("Thom") Myles Steinbeck]] in 1944 and [[John Steinbeck IV]] (Catbird), in 1946. They divorced in 1948. Two years later, Steinbeck married Elaine (Anderson) Scott, the ex-wife of actor [[Zachary Scott]]. They would remain married until his death in 1968. <ref name="Bio" /> She died in 2003 in New York.

=== Ed Ricketts ===

[[Image:EdRicketsLab.jpg|thumb|Ed Ricketts lab at 800 [[Cannery Row]], [[Monterey]] which was the basis for Doc's marine Lab in the novel ''Cannery Row'']]

In 1940, Steinbeck's interest in [[marine biology]] and his friendship with [[Ed Ricketts]] led him to a voyage around the [[Gulf of California]], also known as the "Sea of [[Hernán Cortés|Cortez]]," where they collected biological specimens. Steinbeck's narrative portion of the total expedition report (with some philosophical additions by Ricketts) was later published as ''[[The Log from the Sea of Cortez]]'', and describes the daily experiences of the trip. The narrative-log plus the full catalog of the marine invertebrates taken, had earlier been published as a naturalist's narrative and biological catalog of the invertebrate life of the [[Gulf of California]]. While it remains a classic of an earlier tradition in biological reporting, in 1942 it did not sell well, in part due to failure to find a popular audience.<ref name="Journey">{{citation|title=A Journey into Steinbeck's [[California]]|author=Susan Shillinglaw|publisher=Roaring Forties Press|date=2006}}</ref>

[[Ed Ricketts]] had a tremendous impact on Steinbeck's writing. Not only did he help Steinbeck while he was in the process of writing, but he aided Steinbeck in his social adventures. Steinbeck frequently took small trips with Ricketts along the California coast, to collect the biological specimens which Ricketts sold for a living, and to give Steinbeck a vacation from his writing.<ref name="Journey" />

Ricketts' impact on Steinbeck was so great that Steinbeck decided to base his character "Doc" in the novels ''[[Cannery Row]]'' and ''[[Sweet Thursday]]'' on Ricketts. Steinbeck's close relationship with Ricketts would end with the coming of the second World War, and as Steinbeck moved away from Salinas, California, to pursue a life away from his wife Carol. <ref name="Journey" />

=== World War II ===

During [[World War II]], Steinbeck served as a [[war correspondent]] for the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]].'' It was at that time he became friends with [[Will Lang Jr.]] of Time/Life magazine. During the war, Steinbeck saw action in accompanying some of the commando raids of [[Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.]]'s [[Beach Jumpers]] program, which (among other things) launched small-unit diversion operations against German-held islands in the [[Mediterranean]]. As a war correspondent, Steinbeck would certainly have been executed if he had been captured with the automatic weapon which he routinely carried on such missions, but all were successful. These missions would help to earn Fairbanks a number of decorations, but as a civilian, Steinbeck's role in these doings went officially unrecognized. Some of Steinbeck's writings from his correspondence days were collected and made into the novelistic documentary ''[[Once There Was A War]] (1958).''

During the war, he continued to work in film, writing [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s [[Lifeboat (film)|''Lifeboat'']] (1944), and the film ''[[A Medal for Benny]]'' (1945), about [[Compadre|paisanos]] from ''[[Tortilla Flat]]'' going to war. John Steinbeck later requested that his name be removed from the credits of ''Lifeboat'', because he believed the final version of the film had racist undertones.

His novel ''[[The Moon is Down]]'' (1942), about the [[Socrates]]-inspired spirit of resistance in a [[Nazism|Nazi]]-occupied village in northern Europe, was made into a film almost immediately. It was presumed that the unnamed country of the novel was [[Norway]], and in 1945 Steinbeck received the [[Haakon VII]] Medal of freedom for his literary contributions to the [[Norway|Norwegian]] resistance movement.

=== After the war ===

After the war, he wrote ''[[The Pearl (novel)|The Pearl]]'' (1947), already knowing it would be filmed. The story first appeared in the December 1945 issue of [[Woman's Home Companion]] magazine as "The Pearl of the World." It was illustrated by [[John Alan Maxwell]]. The novel is an imaginative telling of a story which Steinbeck had heard in La Paz, as related in ''The Log From the Sea of Cortez'', which he described in Chapter 11 as being "so much like a parable that it almost can't be".{{Fact|date=December 2007}} Steinbeck traveled to Mexico for the filming; on this trip he would be inspired by the story of [[Emiliano Zapata]], and subsequently wrote a film script (''[[Viva Zapata!]]'') directed by [[Elia Kazan]] and starring [[Marlon Brando]] and [[Anthony Quinn]].

In 1948 Steinbeck again toured the [[Soviet Union]], together with renowned photographer [[Robert Capa]]. They visited [[Moscow]], [[Kiev]], [[Tbilisi]], [[Batumi]] and the ruined [[Stalingrad]]. He wrote a humorous report-book about their experiences, ''A Russian Journal'', which was illustrated with Capa's photos. Avoiding political topics and reporting about the life of simple Soviet peasants and workers, Steinbeck tried to generate more understanding toward people living in the Soviet Union, in a time when anti-Communism was widespread in the U.S. and the danger of war between the two countries was imminent. In the same year he was also elected to the [[American Academy of Arts and Letters]].

== 1950s—1960s ==

[[Image:TravelswithCharlieVehicle.jpg|thumb|[[Rocinante]], Steinbeck's camper truck which he used to travel across the [[United States]] in 1960]]

Following his divorce from Gwyndolyn Conger and the sudden, tragic death of his close friend Ed Ricketts (who perished as a result of his car being hit by a train), Steinbeck wrote one of his most popular novels, ''[[East of Eden]]'' (1952). This book, which he wrote to give his sons some idea of their heritage, was the book he repeatedly wrote of as his best, and his life's work.

In 1952, Steinbeck appeared as the on-screen narrator of [[20th Century Fox]]'s film, ''[[O. Henry's Full House]]''. Although Steinbeck later admitted he was uncomfortable before the camera, he provided interesting introductions to several filmed adaptations of short stories by the legendary writer [[O. Henry]]. About the same time, Steinbeck recorded readings of several of his short stories for [[Columbia Records]]; despite some obvious stiffness, the recordings provide a literal record of Steinbeck's deep, resonant voice.

Following the success of ''Viva Zapata!'', Steinbeck collaborated with Kazan on the theatrical production of ''[[East of Eden (1955 film)|East of Eden]]'', [[James Dean]]'s film debut.

Steinbeck's next to last major work, ''[[Travels with Charley]]'' (subtitle: In Search of America) is a travelogue of a coast-to-coast [[road trip]] he took across the [[United States]] in 1960, in a camper truck, with his [[standard poodle]] Charley. In the work, Steinbeck misses his lost youth and lost roots, and both criticizes and praises America on many levels. According to Thom Steinbeck, the author's older son, the real reason for the trip was that Steinbeck knew he was dying and wanted to see his country one last time. Thom says he was surprised that his stepmother (Steinbeck's wife) allowed Steinbeck to make the trip, since Steinbeck's heart disease put him at risk of dying without warning at any time.<ref>"[http://www.commonties.com/blog/2006/09/13/steinbeck-knew-he-was-dying/ Steinbeck knew he was dying]," September 13, 2006. Audio interview with Thom Steinbeck</ref>

Steinbeck's last novel, ''[[The Winter of Our Discontent]]'', was written in 1961. The book examines [[moral decline]] in America through a tragic story.<ref name="Student" /> The book reflected Steinbeck's increasing concern over the loss of integrity amongst members of society and the subsequent moral decay; in the book, the protagonist Ethan, like Steinbeck grows discontented both with his own moral decline and of those around him.<ref name="Student" /> The book is quite different in tone to Steinbeck's amoral and ecological description of the innocent thievery of the protagonists of his earlier works such as [[Tortilla Flat]] and [[Cannery Row]]. Like many of Steinbeck's works, his last one was critically savaged. Many reviewers saw the quality and importance of the novel but were again disappointed, as many were still hoping for a work similar to the ''[[Grapes of Wrath]]''.<ref name="Student">The students companion to John Steinbeck, page 24, Cynthia Burkhead, Greenwood Press, 2002</ref>

=== Nobel prize for literature ===

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.” Privately, he felt he did not deserve the honor. In his acceptance speech, he said:

{{Quotation|''"the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature."''|Steinbeck Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech<ref>[http://www.steinbeck.sjsu.edu/works/NobleSpeech.jsp Steinbeck Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech]</ref>}}

In September 1964, Steinbeck was awarded the [[United States Medal of Freedom]] by President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].<ref>[http://www.medaloffreedom.com/JohnSteinbeck.htm John Steinbeck, Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom], Medal of Freedom Recipients, Accessed 2007</ref>

In 1967, at the behest of ''[[Newsday]]'' magazine, Steinbeck went to [[Vietnam]] to report on the war there. Thinking of the [[Vietnam War]] as a heroic venture, he was considered a [[War Hawk|Hawk]] for his position on that war. His sons both served in Vietnam prior to his death, and Steinbeck visited one son in the battlefield (at one point being allowed to man a machine-gun watch position at night at a firebase, while his son and other members of his platoon slept). <ref> See Steinbeck, A Life in Letters.</ref>

=== Death ===

[[Image:JohnSteinbeckGraveSite.jpg|thumb|The gravesite of Steinbeck's ashes in [[Salinas, California|Salinas]] Cemetery]]

On December 20, 1968 John Steinbeck died in [[New York City]]. His death is listed as [[heart disease]] or [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]]. An autopsy showed nearly complete [[Stenosis|occlusion]] of Steinbeck's main coronary arteries.<ref name="Bio" />

In accordance with his wishes, his body was [[Cremation|cremated]] and an urn containing his ashes was interred at his family gravesite at [[Garden of Memories Memorial Park]] in Salinas. His ashes were placed with those of the Hamiltons (grandparents). His third wife, Elaine was buried with him in 2004.<ref name="Journey" /> He had earlier written to his doctor that he felt deeply "in his bones" that he would not survive his physical death, and that the biological end of his life was the final end to it.<ref name="Journey" />

After Steinbeck's death, his incomplete novel based on the [[King Arthur]] legends, ''Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights'' was finally published, in 1976.

== Legacy ==

[[Image:NationalSteinbeckCentre.jpg|thumb|The National Steinbeck Centre in Salinas, California]]

The day after Steinbeck's death in New York City, reviewer Charles Poore wrote in the ''[[New York Times]]'': "John Steinbeck's first great book was his last great book. But Good Lord, what a book that was and is: ''The Grapes of Wrath''." Poore noted a "preachiness" in Steinbeck's work, "as if half his literary inheritance came from the best of [[Mark Twain]]—and the other half from the worst of [[Cotton Mather]]." But he asserted that "Steinbeck didn't need the [[Nobel Prize]]—the Nobel judges needed him." Poore concluded:

: {{cquote|''"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."''}}

Many of Steinbeck's works are often included on required reading lists in American [[high schools]]. His works are often read in other countries, in particular, in schools in [[Canada]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. In the [[United Kingdom]] [[Of Mice and Men]] is one of the key texts used by the examining body [[Assessment and Qualifications Alliance|AQA]] for its [[English Literature]] [[GCSE]]. A study by the Center for the Learning and Teaching of Literature in the [[United States]] found that [[Of Mice and Men]] was one of the ten most frequently read books in both public high and independent schools.<ref>[http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9214/book.htm Books taught in Schools], Center for the Learning and Teaching of Literature. Accessed 2007</ref>

Steinbeck's works have aroused [[controversy]]. For example, at the time of its release ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' was [[banned books|banned]] by several school boards, who believed his work to be [[obscene]] and misrepresentational. In one case, [[Kern County]] [[Board of Supervisors]] [[banned books|banned the book]] from the county's [[public school]]s and [[libraries]] in August 1939.<ref>[http://home.pacific.net.au/~greg.hub/banned.html Steinbeck Book Ban, Accessed 2007]</ref> ''The Grapes of Wrath'' was also burned in Steinbeck's home town of [[Salinas]] on two occasions.<ref name="Bio3" /><ref>[http://www.steinbeck.org/Grapes.html The Grapes of Wrath Burnt in Salinas], National Steinbeck Centre, Accessed 2007</ref> Controversy however, still surrounds some of his work today; ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'' as another example, was banned in 2003 by a school board in [[Mississippi (state)|Mississippi]] who considered the book's use of profanity as a danger to its students.<ref>[http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2003/january2003/vietnambooks.cfm Steinbecks work banned in Mississippi 2003], American Library Association, Accessed 2007</ref> The [[American Library Association]] states that Steinbeck was one of the ten most challenged and banned authors from 1990 to 2004, with ''Of Mice and Men'' the sixth highest challenged out of the 100 most frequently challenged books in the [[United States]].<ref>[http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm#1990topresent Steinbeck 10 most most banned list], American Library Association, Accessed 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bbwlinks/100mostfrequently.cfm 100 Most Frequently banned books in the U.S.], American Library Association, Accessed 2007</ref>

=== California ===

[[Image:MontereyCanneryRow.jpg|thumb|[[Cannery Row]] in [[Monterey]] where Steinbeck's friend and fellow biologist [[Ed Ricketts]] worked]]

The [[California]] area which includes [[Salinas]] and the [[Salinas Valley]], [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], and parts of the nearby [[San Joaquin Valley]], acted as a setting for many of his stories. The area is now sometimes referred to as "Steinbeck Country".<ref name="Journey" />

Steinbeck's boyhood home, a turreted [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] building in downtown [[Salinas]], has been preserved and restored by the Valley Guild, a [[nonprofit]] organization. Fixed menu lunches are served Monday through Saturday, and the house is open for [[tours]] during the summer on Sunday afternoons.<ref>[http://www.infopoint.com/mry/orgs/steinbeck/ John Steinbeck's Home and Birthplace], Information Point, Accessed 2007</ref>

The [[National Steinbeck Center]], two blocks away at One [[Main Street]] is the only [[museum]] in the U.S. dedicated to a single author. Dana Gioia (chair of the [[National Endowment for the Arts]]) told an audience at the Center, "This is really the best modern literary shrine in the country, and I've seen them all." Its Steinbeckiana includes Rocinante, the camper truck in which Steinbeck made the crosscountry trip described in "Travels with Charley." A detailed breakdown of all of Steinbecks work are narrated through audio and visual materials including some original [[manuscript]]s, [[first edition]]s and personal possessions.<ref>[http://www.steinbeck.org/ The National Steinbeck Centre], Accessed 2007</ref>

The cottage his father owned on Eleventh Street in Pacific Grove, where Steinbeck wrote some of his earliest books, has also survived.<ref name="Journey" />

In [[Monterey]], "Doc" [[Ed Ricketts]]' laboratory has survived (though is not yet open to the public) and at the corner which Steinbeck describes in ''[[Cannery Row (novel)|Cannery Row]]'', also the store which once belonged to Lee Chong, and the adjacent vacant lot frequented by the hobos of [[Cannery Row]]. The [[sardine]] [[cannery]] next to Doc's lab has long stopped operation as a cannery, and is now the [[Monterey Bay Aquarium]], which contains some historical treasures, including a selection of Doc's [[library]] [[books]]. The town displays a series of civic links to Steinbeck's work including an avenue of [[flags]] from famous characters from Cannery Row, as well as a series of historical display signs.<ref name="Journey" />

=== Honors ===

On December 5, 2007 California Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] and First Lady [[Maria Shriver]] inducted Steinbeck into the [[California Hall of Fame]], located at [[The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts]].<ref>[http://www.californiamuseum.org/Exhibits/Hall-of-Fame/inductees.html Steinbeck inducted into California Hall of Fame], California Museum, Accessed 2007</ref> His son, author Thomas Steinbeck accepted the award on his behalf. In 1979, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a stamp featuring Steinbeck, starting the Postal Service’s Literary Arts series honoring American writers.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/sr08_015.htm
| title=Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Gets ‘Stamp of Approval’
| publisher=United States Postal Service
| date=2008-02-21
| accessdate=2008-03-15
}}</ref>

== Political views ==

Steinbeck's literary background brought him into close collaboration with [[leftist]] authors, journalists, and [[trade union|labor union]] figures, who may have influenced his writing. Steinbeck was mentored by radical writers [[Lincoln Steffens]] and his wife [[Ella Winter]], and through [[Francis Whitaker]], a member of the [[United States Communist Party]]’s [[John Reed Club]] for writers, Steinbeck met with strike organizers from the Cannery and Agricultural Workers' Industrial Union.<ref>[http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/20/jun02/steinbeck.htm Steinbeck and radicalism] New Criterion, Accessed 2007</ref>

Steinbeck complained publicly about government harassment. In a 1942 letter to United States Attorney General [[Francis Biddle]] he wrote
"Do you suppose you could ask [[J. Edgar Hoover|Edgar]]'s boys to stop stepping on my heels? They think I am an enemy alien. It is getting tiresome".<ref>[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/steinbeck1.html Steinbeck Political Beliefs], Smoking Gun Part 1, Accessed 2007</ref> The FBI issued disingenuous denials that Steinbeck was not "under investigation". In fact, Steinbeck was indeed the object of intense FBI scrutiny. He was not under investigation, which is a technical term used by the FBI when it seeks to collect evidence in connection with a specific crime.

Steinbeck was also screened for his political beliefs by [[United States Army|Army]] Intelligence during [[World War II]] to determine his suitability for an officer's commission. It found him ideologically unqualified. In later years, he would be criticized from the left by those who accused him of insufficient ideological commitment to socialism. In 1948 a women's socialist group in [[Rome]] condemned Steinbeck for converting to "the camp of war and anti-Sovietism". Then in a 1955 article in the ''[[Daily Worker]]'' his portrayal of the American Left was criticised.<ref>[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/steinbeck2.html Steinbeck Political Beliefs], Smoking Gun Part 2, Accessed 2007</ref>

In 1967, Steinbeck traveled to [[Vietnam]] to report on the [[Vietnam war|war]], and his sympathetic portrait of the [[United States Army]] caused the ''[[New York Post]]'' to denounce him for betraying his [[Liberalism|liberal]] past. Steinbeck's biographer, Jay Parini, has suggested that Steinbeck's affection for [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], whom he considered a friend, influenced his view of the situation in Vietnam.<ref name="Bio">John Steinbeck: A Biography, Jay Parini, Holt Publishing, 1996</ref>

Steinbeck was a close associate of playwright [[Arthur Miller]], author of ''[[Death of a Salesman]]'' and ''[[The Crucible]]''. In June 1959, Steinbeck took a personal and professional risk by standing up for his companion, who was held in contempt of the [[United States Congress]] for refusing to name names in the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] trials.<ref name="Bio3" /> Steinbeck called the period one of the "strangest and most frightening times a government and people have ever faced."<ref name="Bio3">John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography, Jackson J. Benson , Penguin, 1990</ref>

== Film credits ==

* 1939—''[[Of Mice and Men (1939 film)|Of Mice and Men]]''—directed by Lewis Milestone, featuring [[Burgess Meredith]], [[Lon Chaney, Jr.]], and [[Betty Field]]
* 1940—''[[The Grapes of Wrath (film)|The Grapes of Wrath]]''—directed by [[John Ford]], featuring [[Henry Fonda]], [[Jane Darwell]] and [[John Carradine]]
* 1941—''The Forgotten Village''—directed by Herbert Kline, narrated by Burgess Meredith
* 1942—''[[Tortilla Flat (film)|Tortilla Flat]]''—directed by [[Victor Fleming]], featuring [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Hedy Lamarr]] and [[John Garfield]]
* 1943—''The Moon is Down''—directed by [[Irving Pichel]], featuring [[Lee J. Cobb]] and Sir [[Cedric Hardwicke]]
* 1944—''[[Lifeboat (film)|Lifeboat]]''—directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]], featuring [[Tallulah Bankhead]], [[Hume Cronyn]], and [[John Hodiak]]
* 1944—''[[A Medal for Benny]]''—directed by Irving Pichel, featuring [[Dorothy Lamour]] and Arturo de Cordova
* 1947—''[[La perla|La Perla]]'' (''The Pearl'', Mexico)—directed by Emilio Fernández, featuring Pedro Armendáriz and María Elena Marqués
* 1949—''[[The Red Pony]]''—directed by Lewis Milestone, featuring [[Myrna Loy]], [[Robert Mitchum]], and [[Louis Calhern]]
* 1952—''[[Viva Zapata!]]''—directed by [[Elia Kazan]], featuring [[Marlon Brando]], [[Anthony Quinn]] and [[Jean Peters]]
* 1955—''[[East of Eden (1955 film)|East of Eden]]''—directed by [[Elia Kazan]], featuring [[James Dean]], [[Julie Harris]], [[Jo Van Fleet]], and [[Raymond Massey]]
* 1956—''[[The Wayward Bus]]''—directed by Victor Vicas, featuring Rick Jason, [[Jayne Mansfield]], and [[Joan Collins]]
* 1961—''Flight''—featuring Efrain Ramírez and Arnelia Cortez
* 1962—''Ikimize bir dünya'' (''Of Mice and Men'', Turkey)
* 1972—''Topoli'' (''Of Mice and Men'', Iran)
* 1982—''[[Cannery Row (film)|Cannery Row]]''—directed by David S. Ward, featuring [[Nick Nolte]] and [[Debra Winger]]
* 1992—''[[Of Mice and Men (1992 film)|Of Mice and Men]]''—directed by [[Gary Sinise]] and starring [[John Malkovich]]

== Major Works ==

=== Of Mice and Men ===
{{main|Of Mice and Men}}
''Of Mice and Men'' is a tragedy that was written in the form of a play in 1937. The story is about two traveling ranch workers, George and Lennie, trying to work up enough money to buy their own farm/ranch. It encompasses themes of racism, loneliness, prejudice against the mentally ill, and the struggle for personal independence. Along with ''Grapes of Wrath'', ''East of Eden'', and ''The Pearl'', ''Of Mice and Men'' is one of Steinbeck's best known works. It was made into a movie three times, in 1939 starring [[Burgess Meredith]], [[Lon Chaney Jr.]], and [[Betty Field]], in 1982 starring [[Randy Quaid]], [[Robert Blake (actor)|Robert Blake]] and [[Ted Neeley]], and in 1992 starring [[Gary Sinise]] and [[John Malkovich]].

=== The Grapes of Wrath ===
{{main|The Grapes of Wrath}}
The ''Grapes of Wrath'' was written in 1939 and won the [[Pulitzer Prize]] in 1940. The book is set in the [[Great Depression]] and describes a family of sharecroppers, the Joads, who were driven from their land due to the dust storms of the [[Dust Bowl]]. The title is a reference to the [[Battle Hymn of the Republic]]. The book was made into a film in 1940 starring [[Henry Fonda]] and directed by [[John Ford]].

=== East of Eden ===
{{main|East of Eden}}
Steinbeck deals with the nature of good and evil in this Salinas Valley saga. The story follows two families: the Hamiltons - based on Steinbeck's own maternal ancestry - and the Trasks, reprising stories about the Biblical Adam and his progeny. The book was published in 1952.

=== Travels With Charley ===
{{main|Travels With Charley: In Search of America}}
In 1960, Steinbeck bought a pickup truck and had it modified with a custom-built camper top - rare for that day - and drove across the United States with his faithful poodle, Charley. In this sometimes comical, sometimes melancholic book, Steinbeck describes what he sees from [[Maine]] to [[Montana]] to [[California]], and from there to [[Texas]] and [[Louisiana]] and back to his home in [[Long Island]]. The restored camper truck is on exhibit in the [[National Steinbeck Center]] in [[Salinas, California|Salinas]], [[California]].

== List of works ==

* ''[[Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, With Occasional Reference to History|Cup of Gold]]'' (1929)
* ''[[The Pastures of Heaven]]'' (1932)
* ''[[The Red Pony]]'' (1933)
* ''[[To a God Unknown]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Tortilla Flat]]'' (1935)
* ''[[The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1936)
* ''[[In Dubious Battle]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'' (1937)
* ''[[The Long Valley]]'' (1938)
* ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Forgotten Village]]'' (1941)
* ''[[The Log from the Sea of Cortez|Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research]]'' (1941)
* ''[[The Moon Is Down]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Cannery Row (novel)|Cannery Row]]'' (1945)
* ''[[The Wayward Bus]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Pearl (novel)|The Pearl]]'' (1947)
* ''[[A Russian Journal]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Burning Bright]]'' (1950)
* ''[[The Log from the Sea of Cortez]]'' (1951)
* ''[[East of Eden]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Sweet Thursday]]'' (1954)
* ''[[The Short Reign of Pippin IV|The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Once There Was A War]]'' (1958)
* ''[[The Winter of Our Discontent]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Travels with Charley: In Search of America]]'' (1962)
* ''[[America and Americans]]'' (1966)

Posthumous publishings include:

* ''[[Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Viva Zapata!]]'' (1975)
* ''[[The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Workings Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath]]'' (1989)

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery
|width=180
|lines=3
|Image:SteinbeckCottage.jpg|Steinbeck lived for many years in this cottage in [[Pacific Grove, California]]; he planted the pine tree in the front yard.
|Image:SteinbeckGrave.jpg|John Steinbeck and family grave
|Image:TheFreeExploringMindOfTheIndividualHumanIsTheMostValuableThingInTheWorldByJohnSteinbeckInJackKerouacAlley.jpg|Steinbeck's poem plaque at San Francisco's [[Jack Kerouac Alley]].
|Image:SteinbeckStamp.JPG|John Steinbeck postage stamp.
|Image:SteinbeckMontereyFlag.jpg|Flag honoring Steinbeck in [[Monterey, California]]
}}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin|colwidth=40em}}
* DeMott, Robert and Steinbeck, Elaine A., eds. ''John Steinbeck, Novels and Stories 1932-1937'' ([[Library of America]], 1994) ISBN 978-1-88301101-7
* DeMott, Robert and Steinbeck, Elaine A., eds. ''John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings 1936-1941'' ([[Library of America]], 1996) ISBN 978-1-88301115-4
* DeMott, Robert, ed. ''John Steinbeck, Novels 1942-1952'' ([[Library of America]], 2002) ISBN 978-1-93108207-5
* DeMott, Robert and Railsback, Brian, eds. ''John Steinbeck, Travels With Charlie and later novels, 1947-1962'' ([[Library of America]], 2007) ISBN 978-1-59853-004-9
* Benson, Jackson J., ed. ''The Short Novels Of John Steinbeck: Critical Essays with a Checklist to Steinbeck Criticism''. Durham: Duke UP, 1990. PS3537 .T3234 Z8666
* Davis, Robert C. ''The Grapes of Wrath: A Collection of Critical Essays.'' Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. PS3537 .T3234 G734
* French, Warren. ''John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited''. NY: Twayne, 1994.
* Hughes, R. S. ''John Steinbeck: A Study of the Short Fiction''. R.S. Hughes. Boston : Twayne, 1989. PS3537 .T3234 Z7147
* Meyer, Michael J. ''The Hayashi Steinbeck Bibliography'', 1982-1996. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 1998.
* Benson, Jackson J. ''Looking for Steinbeck's Ghost''. Reno: U of Nevada P, 2002.
* Ditsky, ''John. John Steinbeck and the Critics''. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2000.
* Heavilin, Barbara A. ''John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath: A Reference Guide''. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002.
* Li, Luchen. ed. ''John Steinbeck: A Documentary Volume''. Detroit: Gale, 2005.
* Parini, Jay,. ''John Steinbeck: A Biography'', , Holt Publishing, 1996
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikisource author}}
{{refbegin}}
;Educational resources
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf3c6002vx John Steinbeck Collection, 1902-1979](call number M0863; 7.5 linear ft.) is housed in the [http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html Department of Special Collections and University Archives] at [http://library.stanford.edu/ Stanford University Libraries]
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf9d5nb3p0 Wells Fargo John Steinbeck Collection, 1870-1981](call number M1063; 5 linear ft.) is housed in the [http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html Department of Special Collections and University Archives] at [http://library.stanford.edu/ Stanford University Libraries]
* [http://www.steinbeck.org National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, CA]
* [http://www.bsu.edu/library/article/0,,28967--,00.html John Steinbeck Collection] at [[Ball State University]] Archives and Special Collections Research Center
* [http://www.steinbeck.sjsu.edu The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies] at the [[San José State University]]
* [http://www.steinbeckbibliography.org searchable database of secondary Steinbeck materials]
* [http://www.americanwriters.org/writers/steinbeck.asp C-Span American Writers Series]
* [http://www.iblist.com/author153.htm Steinbeck's fiction on IBList]

;Primary Sources
* {{WiredForBooks|johnsteinbeck|1989 interview on John Steinbeck with Robert Demott|by [[Don Swaim]]}}
* {{WiredForBooks|elainesteinbeck|1989 Audio Interview with Elaine Steinbeck talking to Don Swaim about John Steinbeck, RealAudio}}
* [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/steinbeck1.html FBI file at The Smoking Gun]
* [http://www.oprah.com/obc_classic/featbook/eastofeden/obc_featbook_eastofeden_main.jhtml John Steinbeck] at [[Oprah's Book Club]]
* {{worldcat id|id=lccn-n79-81460}}

;Life related
* [http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html Nobel Laureate page]
* [http://www.steinbeckhouse.com/ Homepage for the Steinbeck House]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1257 John Steinbeck's gravesite] at [[Find A Grave]]
* [http://www.windyhillpublications.com/steinbeck-country-sub.htm A Tour of John Steinbeck's "Valley of the World"]
{{refend}}

{{Steinbeck}}
{{Nobel Prize in Literature Laureates 1951-1975}}

<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->

{{Persondata
| NAME= Steinbeck, John Ernst
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
| SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[American literature|American writer]], [[Nobel Prize for Literature]] laureate in 1962
| DATE OF BIRTH= {{birth date|1902|2|27|mf=y}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Salinas Valley]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| DATE OF DEATH= {{death date|1968|12|20|mf=y}}
| PLACE OF DEATH= [[New York]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinbeck, John}}

[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:American humanists]]
[[Category:American novelists]]
[[Category:American short story writers]]
[[Category:German-Americans]]
[[Category:Scots-Irish Americans]]
[[Category:California writers]]
[[Category:John Steinbeck]]
[[Category:Nobel laureates in Literature]]
[[Category:People from Salinas, California]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for the Novel winners]]
[[Category:Stanford University alumni]]
[[Category:1902 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]

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