The Life of John Steinbeck
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Where and When was Steinbeck born?
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February 27, 1902 in Salinas, CA.
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Where did Steinbeck go to college? What did he do there?
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He attended Standford college in 1919. He attended on and off for 6 years, taking classes that he thought would help him become a better writer.
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What was Steinbeck's first "real" job?
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He became a reporter in New York but was fired for being "too involved" with the people he wrote about.
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What was Steinbeck's first novel? When did he write it?
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"The Forgettable Cup of Gold". Written from 1926-1928
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Who was Ed Rickets?
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A marine biologist whom Steinbeck met in Monterey. Rickets influenced Steinbeck greatly and would become his best friend.
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Which of Steinbeck's novels made him famous?
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"Tortilla Flat". Published in 1935
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What was interesting about Steinbeck's character?
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He was shy and did not deal well with fame or success. He built a remote, secluded home to escape the public.
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What was Steinbeck's most controversial work? (Hint: Often considered his greatest work)
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"The Grapes of Wrath". Written about migrant labor. Farm owners dismissed the book as "communist" while Franklin Roosevelt and other "New Dealers" praised it. The book was burned in Steinbeck's hometown. The book won the Pulitzer Prize.
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Who was Steinbeck's third and final wife?
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Elaine Scott
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Why did Steinbeck stop writing?
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His winning of the Nobel Prize in 1962 brought out Steinbeck's critics and he took the criticism so seriously that he never wrote again.
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When did Steinbeck die? Where is he buried?
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On December 20, 1968. His ashes are buried in Salinas, CA.
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How is he honored today?
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There is a museum that was constructed in his honor on the spot where is book was burned and he has his own prize called the Steinbeck Award.
