John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He began going to college at Stanford University, but was never able to graduate. When John was 23 years old, he went to New York looking to become a free-lance writer. These were people that were hired to come into an office for a couple hours, and if you wrote at least 3 good articles, the local newspaper would hire you. Steinbeck didn't succeed though and eventually returned back to California. He started writing and publishing stories. His first novel, Cup of Gold, was written in 1929. Steinbeck really became known among the public when he wrote Tortilla Flat in 1935. This humorous novel eventually won the California Commonwealth Club's Gold Metal. John Steinbeck was famous for writing novels about problems with rural labor, and many believe he found his strongest point was writing novels during the time of the Great Depression, where he was inspired the California Dust Bowl, and the struggle among migrant farmers.