John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck was an American writer. Born February 27, 1902, in Salinas. Died December 20, 1968, in Harlem. Known for Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. Educated at Stanford University and Salinas High School. Awards include Nobel Prize in Literature, Presidential Medal of Freedom and National Book Award for Fiction.
Facts
41 facts · 2 confirmed by two sources · 18 cited · 20 from one source · 1 where the sources disagree
What’s different
- Cause of death: we show heart failure (Sources disagree). Wikidata also lists cardiovascular disease
Where this comes from
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What Wikidata says · copied November 13, 2026 · revision 2567542775
- Described as
- American writer (1902–1968)
- Other names
- John Ernst Steinbeck Jr, John Ernest Steinbeck, John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr., John Ernst Steinbeck, Steinbeck, Jeffery Ernest Steinbeck
- Born
- February 27, 1902 · 18 references
- Died
- December 20, 1968 · 18 references
- Born in
- Salinas · 3 references
- Died in
- Harlem
- Buried in
- Garden of Memories · 1 reference
- Cause of death
- heart failure; cardiovascular disease
- Name at birth
- Jeffery Ernest Steinbeck
- Citizen of
- United States
- Occupation
- writer · 3 references; screenwriter; war correspondent · 1 reference; novelist; scientific collector · 1 reference; prose writer · 1 reference
- Education
- Stanford University · 1 reference; Salinas High School · 1 reference
- Member of
- American Academy of Arts and Letters; PEN America
- Known for
- Of Mice and Men · 1 reference; The Grapes of Wrath · 1 reference; East of Eden · 1 reference
- Awards
- Nobel Prize in Literature (1962) · 2 references; Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) · 1 reference; National Book Award for Fiction (1939); California Hall of Fame (2007); Pulitzer Prize for the Novel (1940) · 2 references; King Haakon VII Freedom Cross · 1 reference; Bancarella Selection Prize (1955) · 1 reference
- Field
- novel of manners · 1 reference; creative and professional writing · 1 reference; prose · 1 reference
- Spouse
- Elaine Anderson Steinbeck (1950–1968); Gwyn Conger (1943–1948); Carol Henning (1930–1943); Gwyndolyn Conger Steinbeck · 1 reference
- Children
- John Steinbeck IV · 1 reference; Thomas Steinbeck · 1 reference
- Father
- John Steinbeck · 1 reference
- Mother
- Olive Hamilton · 1 reference
- Religion
- agnosticism
- Lived in
- John Steinbeck House · 1 reference
- Wikipedias with a page
- 149
Wikidata item Q39212 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q39212), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.
What Wikipedia says · copied November 13, 2026 · revision 1385149832
John Ernst Steinbeck ( STYNE-bek; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and novelist. He was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters". One of the most widely read authors of the 20th century, he was also an independent journalist and war correspondent during World War II and the Vietnam War.
During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward Ricketts, including 16 novels, 6 non-fiction books, and 2 collections of short stories. He is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize–winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon. By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies.
Much of Steinbeck's work employs settings in his native central California, particularly in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists. He was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and was nominated for three Academy Awards.
- Born, in its opening lines
- February 27, 1902
- Died, in its opening lines
- December 20, 1968
From the Wikipedia article “John Steinbeck” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.
Confirmed Two sources agree. Cited One source, and it names where it got it. One source One source, without a reference of its own. Sources disagree The sources disagree. We show the best-supported value and keep theirs below.
