John Steinbeck Facts

✍ John Steinbeck worked as a World War II correspondent in 1943, and was stationed in the Mediterranean. But he was injured in North Africa, by an explosion and returned home in 1944.

✍ He traveled regularly to Soviet Union, the first trip made in 1947. At that time, he was among the few Westerners to visit the USSR, after the Communist revolution. One of his works A Russian Journal, is about his experiences in the Soviet Union, with photos by fellow traveler and famous photographer, Robert Capa.

✍ Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist and philosopher was one of John Steinbeck's closest friends. They wrote The Log from the Sea together and he was a major influence on John's work. When Ed Ricketts died in 1948 from a car accident, John Steinbeck couldn't make it in time to see him, and his 2nd wife Gwyn divorced him, that very day. Ed's death deeply depressed John for a year, and his work quality suffered drastically during that time period.

✍ Steinbeck had a left-wing political stance and was a member of the League of American Writers. He regularly attended strikes and meeting of workers unions. He stood up for Arthur Miller, during the "House Un-American Activities Committee" trials. His visits to Russia and suspected pro-commie attitude, made him a FBI target (which they deny to this day), and he was repeatedly audited by the U.S IRS.

✍ John Steinbeck was a chain smoker, till his death. He liked to have late-night snacks of chili, tuna fish on crackers and red wine.

John Steinbeck Facts - Novels & Legacy

✎ While his first 4 novels were not noticed, it was Tortilla Flat(1935) that propelled John Steinbeck into the public's eye. It won the California Commonwealth Club's Gold Medal that year.

✎ 2 of John Steinbeck's "California novels" are his most famous and acclaimed works. Of Mice and Men (1937) told the tale of 2 farm workers, and their struggle to have a land of their own. The key theme was racism and prejudice towards the mentally ill, with an underlying note of lost dreams and independence. The Grapes of Wrath (1939) won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940, for its gripping Great Depression story, of a working class family's journey to a better land. Both stories are sympathetic to the ordinary man and workers, with a cynical view of the profits of capitalism. Other popular works are: East of Eden (1952),Cannery Row (1945),The Pearl (1947) and Travels with Charley (1962).

✎ 14 of John Steinbeck's works, have been adapted into films and plays, out of which The Grapes of Wrath won 2 Oscars.

✎ At present, John Steinbeck's novels are regarded as literary classics, and their sales are approximately 700,000 copies a year.

✎ John Steinbeck has his own museum, The National Steinbeck Center, located in Salinas, California which is the only museum in the U.S dedicated to a single author.

✎ In 2007, John Steinbeck was officially inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

John Steinbeck Quotes

✏ "Give a critic an inch, he'll write a play""

✏ "I am impelled, not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession"

✏ "Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen"

✏ "It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it"

The above John Steinbeck facts are just a brief glimpse into the life of a dedicated writer, who shunned the limelight. Indeed, Steinbeck was said to be so focused on his work, and would let nothing interfere with it, even relationships. That being said, his bodies of work have made a powerful print, on the ever-changing canvas of literature.