John Ernest Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902 of German and Irish ancestry. His father, John Steinbeck, Sr, served as the Country Treasurer whiles his mother, Olive, a former school teacher, fostered Steinbeck's love of reading and the written word. During summers he worked as a hired hand near ranches. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck attended Stanford University. During this time he worked periodically at various jobs and left Stanford …showed first 75 words of 328 total…

…showed last 75 words of 328 total…There Was a War. John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 "...for his realistic as well as imaginative writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humor and a keen social perception. Throughout his life John Steinbeck remained private person who shunned publicity. He died December 20, 1968, in New York City and is survived by his third wife, Elaine (Scott) Steinbeck and one son, Thomas. His ashes were in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas.