John Steinbeck Biography

Fast Facts

• Was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2007
• Spent his youth working on local ranches in the summer, experiences he would later use as inspiration for "Of Mice and Men․"
• Often showcases the lives of working-class, ordinary Americans in his works
• Known for writing about farmers living in the midst of the Great Depression and the storms of the Dust Bowl
• Wanted to help with the war effort during World War II, but was denied a military commission due to his outspoken liberal stance on politics
• Was one of the first Americans to visit the USSR after the communist revolution