The Life of John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27th, 1902 in Salinas, California. According to Biography.Com, the inspiration for much of Steinbeck's writing came from actual events and places in his life. For example, after writing perhaps his most famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath, he traveled to Mexico to research marine life with friend Edward F. Ricketts, a freelance biologist, and drew inspiration for Sea of Cortez (written collaboratively with Ricketts) from the experience ("John Steinbeck Biography" par. 4). Before he gained recognition or success as an author, Steinbeck supported himself through manual labor, which allowed him to write with appreciation about the lives of migrant workers in his stories ("John Steinbeck Biography par. 2).

John Steinbeck also, according to Oprah.Com's article on the influence of Salinas Valley in his writing, was greatly influenced by the place of his birth and childhood. "I want to describe the Salinas Valley in detail but in sparse detail so that there can be a real feeling of it," he states in his Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters, as quoted by Oprah.Com ("John Steinbeck's East of Eden - Salinas Valley, California" par. 1). He goes on to remark that the book is "a sort of autobiography of the Salinas Valley." In fact, early in the process of writing the book, he considered titling it "My Valley" or "The Salinas Valley" ("John Steinbeck's East of Eden - Salinas Valley, California" par. 3). In his own words, as quoted by Oprah.Com, East of Eden would be "the story of [his] country and the story of [him]" ("John Steinbeck's East of Eden - Salinas Valley, California" par. 3).

Steinbeck, surprisingly, did not finish college. In fact, he started and then dropped out without a degree. According to Oprah.Com, he attended college at Stanford University sporadically from 1919 to 1925, and left without ever receiving a degree. While enrolled, he stopped classes from time to time to take a job as anything from a sales clerk to a farm laborer to a factory worker.

Oprah.Com states that in 1925 he moved to New York City, where he worked odd jobs to support himself while trying to get his writing published. Met with much failure, especially with his first attempt, Cup of Gold, he moved back to California after repeated rejection.

His first widely successful novel (Tortilla Flat), according to Buzzle.Com, was published in 1935 and "received critical acclaim and won the California Commonwealth Club’s Gold Medal" (Ghare par. 3). Following this success, he published a number of pieces of varying length and fame, including the novella Of Mice and Men, the story of two migrant farm workers' dreams of owning their own ranch--one of the workers being the imbecilic Lennie; The Grapes of Wrath, the story of a family of sharecroppers in the Dust Bowl; and, as mentioned before, Sea of Cortez.

Steinbeck's personal life was arguably filled with turmoil. According to Oprah.Com, he lost his mother in 1934 and his father in 1935. In 1930 he married his first wife, Carol Henning, but they were separated ten years later. He married Gwyndolyn Conger, his second wife, in 1943. They were divorced five years later, and a short time later, according to Buzzle.Com, his best friend Ed Ricketts died (Ghare par. 14). In 1950 he married Elain Scott, his third and final wife, with whom he would remain for the rest of his life.

Throughout Steinbeck's life, he received many recognitions, prizes, and awards. According to NobelPrize.Org, he was awarded the Nobel Prize or Literature in 1962.

He died on December 20, 1968 in New York City of arteriosclerosis, having been, as CryptoPatents.Org states, a life-long smoker.

So there you have it. One of the most famous American authors was a thrice-married, college-dropout lifelong smoker. Perhaps overcoming adversity was in his blood, after living through the Depression era. Perhaps he just got lucky. Perhaps an author was just who he was and nothing was going to stop that. Whatever the case, as he lay on his deathbed awaiting "the pastures of heaven," he would surely have been proud to know that his works and legacy are still "burning bright."