John Steinbeck 1902 1968 Best Known For Grapes

John Steinbeck 1902 -1968

Best Known For… Grapes of Wrath (1939) East of Eden (1952) Of Mice and Men (1937) Cannery Row (1945) Tortilla Flat (1935)

Steinbeck’s Career & Significance Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Grapes of Wrath 1939 Nobel Prize in Literature 1962 “The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature. ” — Steinbeck Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

Not everyone thought Steinbeck deserved the awards… His works were political; He was concerned with the “everyman, ” or “the proletariat; ” Steinbeck writes with “social vision” and philosophy. The New York Times asked why the Nobel committee gave the award to an author whose "limited talent is, in his best books, watered down by tenth-rate philosophising", noting that "[T]he international character of the award and the weight attached to it raise questions about the mechanics of selection and how close the Nobel committee is to the main currents of American writing. . [W]e think it interesting that the laurel was not awarded to a writer. . . whose significance, influence and sheer body of work had already made a more profound impression on the literature of our age".

The Pearl (1947) Based on a Mexican folk tale, “The Log From the Sea of Cortez” Steinbeck wrote it to investigate: "human greed, materialism, and the inherent worth of a thing. ”

To Consider… Is The Pearl relevant? What is the worth of a thing? Is materialism problematic?