(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

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 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. ... After publishing some novels and short stories John Steinbeck first became well known after the novel "Tortilla Flat" (1935). This was a turning point in Steinbeck's writing career. ... Steinbeck died in New York in 1968 of arteriosclerosis. ...

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

2. John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California on February 27,1902. ... ("John Steinbeck-, -John Steinbeck Biography-) As a boy, John grew up in a middle class family. ... ("John Steinbeck- , "John Steinbeck Biography-) John also did other work during the summers and other times he was away from college. ... ("John Steinbeck Biography- , "John Steinbeck- , "Steinbeck, John (Ernst)-) John had left New York in the early 1940's and he lived the rest of his life in New York City and on Long Island in New York. ... ("Steinbeck, John (Ernst)- , "John Steinbeck B...

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

3. John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California on February 27,1902. ... ("John Steinbeck-, -John Steinbeck Biography-) As a boy, John grew up in a middle class family. ... ("John Steinbeck- , "John Steinbeck Biography-) John also did other work during the summers and other times he was away from college. ... ("John Steinbeck Biography- , "John Steinbeck- , "Steinbeck, John (Ernst)-) John had left New York in the early 1940's and he lived the rest of his life in New York City and on Long Island in New York. ... ("Steinbeck, John (Ernst)- , "John Steinbeck B...

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

4. John Steinbeck

An American author and winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize for literature, John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr., b. ... Groliers new encylopidea Benson, Jackson T., The True Adventures 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, ...

  • Word Count: 1312
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Biography of John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck is an author that most people are familiar with. ... 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, John Erst Steinbeck, who was the county's treasurer, and by his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, who was a teacher. ... As what I hope you can see by my research, John Steinbeck was an interesting and brilliant man. ...

  • Word Count: 1322
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Life and Works of John Steinbeck

"A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ," - John Steinbeck. ... 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). ... His father, John Ernst Steinbeck, was a county treasurer, and his mother, Olive Hamilton, was a teacher (Harmon). ... He was in his 60's when John F. ...

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

7. John Grisham

John Grisham led a mostly normal childhood. ... (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." ... (John Grisham, Best-Selling Author, Biography) John Grisham's writing career was inspired by the testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim that he overheard at the Dessoto County Courthouse. ... Since then, John Grisham has written and published 15 other best-selling novels. ...

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

8. Louis L'Amour

His serious reading began at twelve with a collection of biographies titled The Genius of Solitude. ... Hondo sold more than 1.5 million copies and was made into a film starring John Wayne. ... Today, over eighty million copies of his novels are now in print, and according to Bantam Books, after the publication of The Man from the Broken Hills, L"Amour is their best selling author, edging out John Steinbeck and Zane Grey. ...

  • Word Count: 1689
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question