| | '''John Steinbeck''' (b.1902 in Salinas, California - d.1968 in NYC) was an [[American]] author who attended [[Stanford University]] without graduating. He wrote the [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning novel about a migrant family entitled ''The Grapes of Wrath'' (1939), which was the best-selling book of that year with sales of 430,000 by February 1940. He also wrote fifteen other novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories. In 1962 Steinbeck received the [[Nobel Prize]] for Literature. On the personal side, he forced his first wife to have an [[abortion]] against her desire to keep the baby; the abortion was botched to her severe harm.<ref>https://thebridgehead.ca/2020/01/10/how-the-curse-of-abortion-has-haunted-americas-literary-greats/</ref> They divorced in 1943, and soon afterwards Steinbeck married Gwedolyn “Gwyn” Conger, a 20-year-old jazz singer 17 years younger than Steinbeck, and they had two children. In 1948 they divorced, and in 1950 Steinbeck married his third wife, Elaine Scott.<ref>https://sits.sjsu.edu/context/influencers/</ref> | | '''John Steinbeck''' (b.1902 in Salinas, California - d.1968 in NYC) was an [[American]] author who attended [[Stanford University]] without graduating. He wrote the [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning novel about a migrant family entitled ''The Grapes of Wrath'' (1939), which was the best-selling book of that year with sales of 430,000 by February 1940. He also wrote fifteen other novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories. In 1962 Steinbeck received the [[Nobel Prize]] for Literature. On the personal side, he forced his first wife to have an [[abortion]] against her desire to keep the baby; the abortion was botched to her severe harm.<ref>https://thebridgehead.ca/2020/01/10/how-the-curse-of-abortion-has-haunted-americas-literary-greats/</ref> They divorced in 1943, and soon afterwards Steinbeck married Gwedolyn “Gwyn” Conger, a 20-year-old jazz singer 17 years younger than Steinbeck, and they had two children. In 1948 they divorced, and in 1950 Steinbeck married his third wife, Elaine Scott.<ref>https://sits.sjsu.edu/context/influencers/</ref> |
| − | Steinbeck grew up in and spent most of his writing career in [[California]]. Some of his works have been made into movies, including ''Cannery Row'' (1945), ''The Pearl'' (1947), ''Of Mice and Men'' (1939) (about two migrant workers who were friends) and ''East of Eden'' (1952) (which was turned into a successful movie). Steinbeck was successful as a Hollywood writer, receiving an [[Academy Award]] nomination for Best Story in 1944 for [[Alfred Hitchcock|Alfred Hitchcock's]] ''Lifeboat''. | + | Steinbeck grew up in and spent most of his writing career in [[California]]. Some of his works have been made into movies, including ''Cannery Row'' (1945), ''The Pearl'' (1947), ''Of Mice and Men'' (1939) (about two migrant workers who were friends) and ''East of Eden'' (1952) (which was turned into a successful movie). Steinbeck was also successful as a Hollywood writer, receiving an [[Academy Award]] nomination for Best Story in 1944 for [[Alfred Hitchcock|Alfred Hitchcock's]] ''Lifeboat''. |
| | Steinbeck's books were highly controversial and have been the subject of many attempts at censorship, both by the left and the right. ''Of Mice and Men'' is number six on the American Library Association's list of the 100 most frequently censored books, 1990-2000.<ref>http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=85714</ref> ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is also a frequent target of censors. But Steinbeck's later novels, including ''East of Eden'', are not considered as high in literary quality as his earlier works, culminating in ''The Grapes of Wrath''. | | Steinbeck's books were highly controversial and have been the subject of many attempts at censorship, both by the left and the right. ''Of Mice and Men'' is number six on the American Library Association's list of the 100 most frequently censored books, 1990-2000.<ref>http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=bbwlinks&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=85714</ref> ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is also a frequent target of censors. But Steinbeck's later novels, including ''East of Eden'', are not considered as high in literary quality as his earlier works, culminating in ''The Grapes of Wrath''. |