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Biography of John Steinbeck

            John Steinbeck is a successful American author. He was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California not too long after the Civil War had ended. Many of his novels deal with social or economic issues of this time, including some of his most successful works such as "In Dubious Battle" (1936), "Of Mice and Men" (1937), "The Long Valley" (1938), and "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939). These are great successes, but just why did he start writing? There were many influential people and circumstances in his life, most notably his early literary exposure from his mother and other sources, his desire to tell the story of the migrant workers and the land, and his strong and beneficial friendship with Ed Ricketts. This unique combination gave him the experiences and the desire to become a successful writer.
             John Steinbeck gained a love of reading and writing from a very early age. There were always books accessible in his home. His mother, Olive Steinbeck, was a school teacher and would encourage her children to read. She would also read to them often, including books like Treasure Island and Robin Hood and the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. At the age of nine, Steinbeck received a copy of Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur from his Aunt Molly and this turned out to be a very important influence. It heightened his sense of fantasy and imagination because of its rich language and its search for a "good man." "I loved the old spelling of the words. Perhaps a passionate love for the English language opened to me from this one book"" (Reef 15). While in school, Steinbeck would write stories up in his room and send them out to magazines. His mother had always encouraged him to keep reading and writing, but when he announced at the age of 14 that he wanted to become a writer, she discouraged this as a career because it was not logical and not a wise decision. However, when he began to write articles for his school newspaper, El Gabilan, and his teachers began to praise his writing efforts, his mother realized how much talent he really had and then became supportive of his wishes.


Essays Related to Biography of John Steinbeck

1. John Steinbeck

... recognized his talents at a young age and both parents strongly encouraged him in his dream to become a writer. ("John Steinbeck-, -John Steinbeck Biography-) As a boy, John grew up in a middle class family. He had to earn all of his own money while in school. He worked on ranches during the summer and also delivered papers on his bicycle. When he was growing up he was shy. He ... together. But like the first marriage, this one also fell apart and John and Gwen were divorced in 1948. By 1950 John had married his third wife, Elaine Scott. They did not have any kids. ("John Steinbeck Biog...

  • Word Count: 963
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

2. John Steinbeck

... recognized his talents at a young age and both parents strongly encouraged him in his dream to become a writer. ("John Steinbeck-, -John Steinbeck Biography-) As a boy, John grew up in a middle class family. He had to earn all of his own money while in school. He worked on ranches during the summer and also delivered papers on his bicycle. When he was growing up he was shy. He ... together. But like the first marriage, this one also fell apart and John and Gwen were divorced in 1948. By 1950 John had married his third wife, Elaine Scott. They did not have any kids. ("John Steinbeck Biog...

  • Word Count: 954
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. John Steinbeck biography

John Steinbeck Biography John Steinbeck John Ernest Steinbeck was born in California, on February 27th, 1902. Being the third child of four, he was the only son to parents John Ernest II and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. He worked through Stanford University but left without a degree. He journeyed to New York to pursue his writing career. However he was unsuccessful in getting his work published so ... novel "Tortilla Flat" (1935). This was a turning point in Steinbeck's writing career. In WW2 he served as a correspondent for the New York Tribune. Steinbeck's later writings were combined with ent...

  • Word Count: 297
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Biography of John Steinbeck

... it like for his when he was a kid and why did he write what he wrote? You will find all those answers and more when you read this biography of John Steinbeck, and then learn what happened to him in his own hometown. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas Valley, which was located in Monterey County. He was raised by his father ... . During his lifetime he was married three times and had two children with his second wife Gwendolyn; two boys by the names of Thomas and John Steinbeck. John Steinbeck was a man that most people in the world respected; yet he was disgraced and...

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5. John Steinbeck

... of John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography (1990); DeMott, R., ed., Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (1989); Fensch, Thomas, ed., Conversations with John Steinbeck (1988); Lisca, Peter, The Wide World of John Steinbeck (1981); Noble, Donald R., ed., The Steinbeck Question: New Essays in Criticism (1992); Owens, Louis, John Steinbeck's Re-Vision of America (1985); Parini, Jay, John Steinbeck (1995); Steinbeck, Elaine, and Wallsten, Robert, eds., Steinbeck: A Life in Letters (1975). Ditsky, J., Critical Essays on John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath (1989); Steinbeck, John ......

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6. The Life and Works of John Steinbeck

... in which he lived. The majority of the America at the time was sad, and it seemed easy for many to just give up. Steinbeck lived in a time period that was overwhelmingly pessimistic, yet was able to become very successful. This is Steinbeck's story as told through his biography, literary works, life experiences, and his legacy. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 ... in Salinas, California (Webster 1338). He was born into a middle class family and was the third of four children being the only boy (Hamilton 26). His father, John Ernst Steinbeck, was a county treasurer, and his m...

  • Word Count: 1462
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

7. John Grisham

... him to read and insisted that he prepare himself for college. (John Grisham, Best-Selling Author, Biography) Taking his mother's advice, Grisham became a very avid reader while growing up and visited the town library often. "He was especially influenced by the work of John Steinbeck whose clarity he admired." (http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/John_Grisham) Along with being a famous writer, Grisham is also ... a devout Christian. While his father usually had to work seven days a week, Grisham's mother always had Grisham and his four siblings in church every Sunday. In high school, he played ...

  • Word Count: 1299
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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