Title/Author

(1.) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

(2.) About the author:

The author of Of Mice and Men, John Ernst Steinback was born in Salines, California on February 27, 1902. His ancestors were of German and Irish decent. John's father, John Steinbeck, Sr., worked as a County Treasurer and his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck was a school teacher. It was Olive who nourished John's love of literature and the art of writing. As a young boy, John's summer job was working as a hired hand on ranches near where he lived.

John graduated high school in 1919 and then was accepted into Stanford University. He started out majoring in English, but soon acquired habits of sporadic attendance to class, pursuing an independent study. During his time at Stanford he worked at different jobs, and in 1925 he decided to leave Stanford permanently and he went to New York City to pursue his career as a writer. At the inception of his career, he was unsuccessful and ended up moving back to California. Later in his career, however, he became an esteemed author. Some of his literary works include Of Mice and Men, The Pearl, The Grapes of Wrath, Travels with Charlie: In Search of America, and Cannery Row.

In 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "...for his realistic as well as imaginative writings, distinguished by a sympathetic humor and a keen social perception."-The Swedish Academy. Throughout his life, John was a reserved person who rejected publicity. He died on December 20, 1968 while living with his third wife Elaine, with a son by the name of Thomas. John will always be remembered for his famous literary works and the way his unique personality was illuminated by them.