There are many authors out in the world today but few will ever have the notoriety that John Steinbeck earned in his lifetime. He wrote sixteen novels and six non-fiction books during the course of his life but his writing credits included short stories and other collective works.

John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in California. His mother had once taught school and she did what she could to ensure that John was able to develop as a reader and as a writer. During his youth, Steinbeck noticed his rural surroundings and much of what he saw would later be chronicled in his manuscript Of Mice and Men.

John attended a local high school and went on to study at Stanford University. Steinbeck wouldn't remain at Stanford. Instead, he began to hold down various jobs while dreaming of making a name for himself as a writer. He wasn't able to realize his dream immediately so he went to Lake Tahoe where he worked at a resort.

Finally, Steinbeck had his break when he published a Cup of Gold in 1929. Between 1931 and 1933, he went on to publish several short stories. However, it wasn't until the release of Tortilla Flat in 1935 that Steinbeck earned the awards and the credit that he desired.

Tortilla Flat gained the California Commonwealth's Gold Medal in recognition of the story. In 1942, Steinbeck's book would carry the same title and be made into a movie with Spencer Tracy and John Garfield. John Steinbeck was living his dreams.

While success was definitely at his door, Steinbeck's California novels would plunge him into the depth of it. The three novels included Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and In Dubious Battle.

Of Mice and Men earned high praise as a book, a play and as a highly regarded film. John Steinbeck went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath and a 1962 Nobel Peace Prize for Literature.

John Steinbeck died in 1968. It is believed that he died from heart disease.