John Steinbeck

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

For Students

John Steinbeck summary

Read Next

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Britannica’s Book Bingo

10 Captivating Contemporary Novels Set in the British Isles

Chapter 4 pg 42 - Chapter header of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Published in 1884 by The American Publishing Company

Periods of American Literature

9 American Countercultural Books

Discover

Town of Sisimiut located on the coast of the Davis Strait on Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay, Greenland

The Largest Islands in the World

illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum

Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs

Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting

Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?

Why Doesn’t Arizona Observe Daylight Saving Time?

Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.

7 Deadliest Weapons in History

Giorgione, Italian, 1477/1478-1510, The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1505/1510, oil on panel, overall: 90.8 x 110.5 cm (35 3/4 x 43 1/2 in.), Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1939.1.289, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

8 Must-See Paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Periods of American Literature

Arts & Culture

John Steinbeck

American novelist

Also known as: John Ernst Steinbeck

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 23, 2024 • Article History

John Steinbeck

See all media

Category: Arts & Culture

In full:: John Ernst Steinbeck

Born:: February 27, 1902, Salinas, California, U.S.

Died:: December 20, 1968, New York, New York (aged 66)

Awards And Honors:: Nobel Prize (1962); Pulitzer Prize (1940); National Book Award (1940)

Notable Works:: “Cannery Row”; “Cup of Gold”; “East of Eden”; “In Dubious Battle”; “Lifeboat”; “Of Mice and Men”; “The Grapes of Wrath”; “The Moon is Down”; “The Pearl”; “The Red Pony”; “Tortilla Flat”; “Travels with Charley: In Search of America”; “Viva Zapata!”

See all related content →

John Steinbeck (born February 27, 1902, Salinas, California, U.S.—died December 20, 1968, New York, New York) American novelist, best known for The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which summed up the bitterness of the Great Depression decade and aroused widespread sympathy for the plight of migratory farmworkers. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1962. Steinbeck attended Stanford University, Stanford, California, intermittently between 1920 and 1926 but did not take a degree. Before his books attained success, he spent considerable time supporting himself as a manual labourer while writing, and his experiences lent authenticity to his depictions of the lives ...(100 of 543 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.