Celebrating the Life of John Steinbeck
On December 20, 1968 John Steinbeck passed away from heart disease in his humble abode located in New York City. Steinbeck was best known for his literature on California, the working class and the land that ruled them. He was a Stanford student without ever completing his degree. He worked, wrote, and inspired American writers for ages to come.
I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. – Steinbeck
Favorite Quotes:
“In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable.”
“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.”
Incomplete List of Suggested Reading:
- Cup of Gold (1929)
- The Pastures of Heaven (1932)
- To a God Unknown (1933)
- Tortilla Flat (1935)
- In Dubious Battle (1936)
- Of Mice and Men (1937)
- The Long Valley (1938)
- The Grapes of Wrath (1939)*
- Sea of Cortez (1941)
- The Moon Is Down (1942)
- Cannery Row (1945)
- The Pearl (1947)
- Burning Bright (1950)
- East of Eden (1952)
- The Winter of Our Discontent (1961)
- Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1962)**
*Pulitzer Prize Winner
**Nobel Prize for Literature
Interesting Fact:
Steinbeck visited Vietnam in 1967 to report on the war where he spent a night on watch for his two sons and the platoon to sleep.
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