John Steinbeck: The Man Behind the Writing.
Who was John Steinbeck, and why is he such a controversial classic author?
Don’t forget: The Of Mice and Men book discussion will take place tomorrow (Sunday 2nd February) at 8pm GMT/3pm EST. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
John Steinbeck (1902-1968) is one of America’s most celebrated and famous authors, though he is not without his own significant controversy. Steinbeck’s works are synonymous with the disenfranchised working class of America and the American Dream, particularly those in the west of the country where many of his novels take place.
While we have read Of Mice and Men this month, you might also know of his other novels including The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden or The Pearl (the latter of which is my personal favourite).
Despite Steinbeck’s success as a staple part in the history of literature, he himself was a complex and flawed human being, often at odds with the themes within his own writing.
Who was he?
John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California, the region that would provide the backdrop for so much of his writing. His father, a treasurer, and his mother, a teacher, meant that he grew up with stability, even if financially the family were in a modest position at best.
Steinbeck’s connection to the Salinas Valley was especially profound. In his youth he would spend summers working on ranches and farms, during which time he would encounter a range of people so broad that they would form the inspiration and basis for many of his characters.
As a young adult, Steinbeck attended Stanford University, though he dropped out before graduating, choosing instead to pursue a career in writing. As with many young authors, his early career was plagued by failed novels and much financial instability. But through this, Steinbeck was not just an observer of poverty and injustice: He lived it. And it’s this authenticity that shines throughout much of his work, how simply believable every character and every moment is within each novel.
So much of John Steinbeck’s writing was inspired by the social and economic chaos of the time. Steinbeck lived through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and the huge displacement of farmers throughout California, events that would greatly influence his view of the world. Themes that would become a staple within his writing.
Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is probably Steinbeck’s most famous novel, if not the one that he would consider his greatest success (East of Eden was the one he considered his magnum opus). It is, after all, taught in schools right across the planet to this very day.
Published in 1937, Of Mice and Men tells the story (as you probably know by now!) of George and Lennie, two displaced ranch workers chasing the American Dream and the chance to own their own land. It is a story that explores friendship, loneliness and injustice within society at the time.