| John Steinbeck is the type of author who likes to know his material first hand. He is not content to narrate a story which has no basis in fact. Thus most of his works take place in California and deal with subjects which he thoroughly understands. |
| Steinbeck's father settled in California shortly after the American Civil War. John Steinbeck was born in Salinas on February 27, 1902. His mother was a school teacher in the public school in Salinas. Steinbeck grew up in this beautiful fertile California valley. From this valley, he found the materials for most of his novels. His imagination was kindled toward writing at a very early age partly because his mother, the school teacher, read to him from the famous literature of the world. |
| During his formative years, he played various sports in high school, worked at various jobs, and wandered around the country-side observing the phenomena of nature. He entered Stanford University in 1920, and even though he remained until 1925, he never graduated. In fact, he earned very few credits. He did, however, contribute some material to the Stanford literary magazine, both poems and short stories. |
| During his years at Stanford and immediately after his departure, Steinbeck worked at a variety of jobs. He went to New York in 1925, but found it unsuitable for his temperament. He returned to California, and between odd jobs, he began writing his novels. His first novel appeared in 1929. |
| In preparation for writing his novels, Steinbeck would often live, work and be with the people about whom he was to write. Thus, in preparation for writing The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck went to Oklahoma, joined some migrants and rode with them to California. Once in California, he stayed with these migrants, |
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