World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

John Steinbeck

ジョン・アーンスト・スタインベック

John Steinbeck

Pen Names: Amnizia Glascock（Pseudonym used to publish poems in 1935）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1902-02-27 （Salinas, California, United States）
Died
1968-12-20 （New York City, New York, United States） age 66
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Agnosticism (raised in the Episcopal Church)
Residence History
Salinas, California, United States → Pacific Grove, California, United States → New York City, New York, United States

Career

Occupations
novelist, playwright, war correspondent
Active Years
1925-1968
Influenced By
Ed Ricketts, Fyodor Dostoevsky, John Milton
Influenced
Multiple generations of American writers

Education

Stanford University
English / Marine Biology
Period: 1920–1925
Country: United States
Left without degree

Awards

Nobel Prize in Literature
1962
Organization: The Swedish Academy
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize (Fiction)
1940
Work: The Grapes of Wrath
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
National Book Award
1940
Work: The Grapes of Wrath
Organization: National Book Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Of Mice and Men

1937 Novella (with dramatic elements) 112 pages

A tragic, allegorical novella about two displaced ranch workers who dream of a better life during the Great Depression.

friendshipdreams vs. realitydignity of the marginalized
Adaptations
  • [Film] Of Mice and Men / Lewis Milestone (1939)
Translations
  • Of Mice and Men (Japanese translations, multiple editions)

The Grapes of Wrath

1939 Novel (social realism) 464 pages

An epic depiction of the Joad family's migration to California, highlighting the hardships and collective struggles of displaced farmers during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression.

social justicefamilyeconomic inequality
Adaptations
  • [Film] The Grapes of Wrath / John Ford (1940)
Translations
  • The Grapes of Wrath (Japanese translations, multiple editions)

East of Eden

1952 Novel (family saga) 601 pages

A multi-generational family saga set in California exploring themes of sin, redemption, and the struggle between good and evil.

original sinchoice and freedomintergenerational conflict
Adaptations
  • [Film] East of Eden / Elia Kazan (1955)
Translations
  • East of Eden (Japanese translation)

Cannery Row

1945 Novel (slice-of-life) 204 pages

A warm, episodic portrait of life in a Californian fishing village, focusing on the eccentric inhabitants and their relationships.

communityeveryday humor
Adaptations
  • [Stage/Film adaptations] Cannery Row (adaptations)
Translations
  • Cannery Row (Japanese translation)

The Moon Is Down

1942 Novel (resistance literature) 160 pages

A brief allegorical novel about civilians resisting occupation, widely read during World War II.

resistanceoccupation and freedom
Translations
  • The Moon Is Down (Japanese translation)

Bibliography

  • Cup of Gold (1929)
  • The Pastures of Heaven (1932)
  • Tortilla Flat (1935)
  • Of Mice and Men (1937)
  • The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
  • The Moon Is Down (1942)
  • Cannery Row (1945)
  • East of Eden (1952)
  • The Winter of Our Discontent (1961)
  • Travels with Charley (1962)

Adaptations

  • The Grapes of Wrath (1940 film, dir. John Ford)
  • East of Eden (1955 film, dir. Elia Kazan)
  • Of Mice and Men (1939 film, dir. Lewis Milestone)

Translations of Works

  • The Grapes of Wrath (Japanese translations, multiple editions)
  • East of Eden (Japanese translation)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
RealismNaturalistic depictionDirect, economical prose
Recurring Motifs
poverty and laborfamily and kinshipconnection to land and nature

Health

  • Heart attack (cause of death)
    1968
    Died of a heart attack in 1968

Legacy

Steinbeck is one of the foremost American writers of the 20th century, celebrated for social realism and empathetic portrayals of people. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 and his works continue to be widely read worldwide.

Museums

  • National Steinbeck Center Salinas, California, United States Opened in 1998

Academic Societies

  • John Steinbeck Society

Archives

  • John Steinbeck Collection - Ball State University Archives
  • National Steinbeck Center Archives

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous adaptations in film and frequent use in educational curricula

Quotes

  • "For his realistic and imaginative writings, combining sympathetic humor and keen social perception."
    Source: Nobel Prize citation (The Swedish Academy) (1962)

Trivia

  • Published 27 books in his lifetime (including 16 novels, 6 nonfiction, and short story collections).
  • The family's original surname was "Großsteinbeck" and was shortened to Steinbeck upon immigration.