John Steinbeck (1902-1968)

It's in Salinas, California, that John Steinbeck was born. He

attended Stanford University on and off in the '20s without ever
graduating. A number of menial jobs such as rancher,
farmhand, and factory worker supported him while he wrote his
early novels. He published his most celebrated works, including
Of Mice and Men and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of
Wrath, in the late 1930s.
His stories often revolve around the troubles of unfortunate
people stuck in a world that changed too fast for them. Most of
his works were turned into motion pictures, one of which, East
of Eden, launched James Dean's career. He was nominated for
three Academy Awards for his writing, and he won the Nobel
Prize in Literature in 1962.

Famous work: The Grapes of Wrath

Famous excerpt: "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath
are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage."

Getting electric, Huck Finn is born, and more...