John Steinbeck was Awarded the Medal of Freedom (September 14, 1964)

This week (September 11-17) in literary history – Katherine Anne Porter’s Flowering Judas was published (September 11, 1930); Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning eloped (September 12, 1846); Novelist Robert McCloskey was born (September 14, 1964); John Steinbeck was awarded the Medal of Freedom (September 14, 1964); Agatha Christie was born (September 15, 1890); Novelist James Alan McPherson was born (September 16, 1943); John Keats traveled to Italy for health reasons (September 17, 1820); Oprah Winfrey launched her influential book club (September 17, 1996)

Highlighted Literary Story of the Week -

On September 14, 1964, John Steinbeck was presented the U.S. Medal of Freedom. Steinbeck had already received numerous other honors and awards for his writing, including the 1962 Nobel Prize and a 1939 Pulitzer Prize. Steinbeck, a native Californian, studied writing intermittently at Stanford between 1920 and 1925 but never graduated. He moved to New York and worked as a manual laborer and journalist while writing his first two novels, which were not successful. He married in 1930 and moved back to California with his wife. His father, a government official in Salinas County, gave the couple a house to live in while Steinbeck continued writing.

His first novel, Tortilla Flat, about the comic antics of several rootless drifters who share a house in California, was published in 1935. The novel became a financial success. Steinbeck’s next works, In Dubious Battle and Of Mice and Men, were both successful, and in 1938 his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath was published. The novel, about the struggles of an Oklahoma family who lose their farm and become fruit pickers in California, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1939.

After World War II, Steinbeck’s work became more sentimental in such novels as Cannery Row and The Pearl. He also wrote several successful films, including Forgotten Village (1941) and Viva Zapata (1952). He became interested in marine biology and published a nonfiction book, The Sea of Cortez, in 1941. His travel memoir, Travels with Charlie, describes his trek across the United States in a camper. Steinbeck died in New York in December 20, 1968 and was buried the Garden of Memories in Salinas, California.

Check back every Friday for a new installment of “This Week in Literary History.”

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of six nonfiction books that includes the award winning America’s Literary Legends and Literary Legends of the British Isles. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for more information. His books can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

 

 

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John Steinbeck Won the Pulitzer Prize (May 6, 1940)

This week (May 1-7) in literary history – Joseph Heller was born (May 1, 1923); Manuscript of Conversations at Midnight by Edna St. Vincent Millay were destroyed in hotel fire (May 2, 1936); Western author Andy Adams was born (May 3, 1859); Lord Byron swam across the Hellespont Strait in Turkey (May 3, 1810); Norman Mailer published first novel The Naked and the Dead (May 4, 1948); John Keats published first poem in The Examiner (May 5, 1816); John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer prize for The Grapes of Wrath (May 6, 1940); Robert Browning was born (May 7, 1812); author Michael Thomas Barry was born (May 7, 1963): Thornton Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize for The Bridge of San Luis Rey (May 7, 1928)

Highlighted Story of the Week -

    On May 6, 1940, John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.

The book traces the fictional Joad family of Oklahoma as they lose their family farm and move to California in search of a better life. They encounter only more difficulties and a downward slide into poverty. The novel combines simple, plain-spoken language and compelling plot with rich description. One of Steinbeck’s most effective works of social commentary, the novel also won the National Book Award.

    Like The Grapes of Wrath, much of Steinbeck’s work dealt with his native state of California. He was born and raised in the Salinas Valley, where his father was a county official and his mother a former schoolteacher. Steinbeck was a good student and president of his senior class in high school. He attended Stanford University intermittently between 1920 and 1925, then moved to New York City, where he worked as a manual laborer and a journalist while writing stories and novels. His first two novels were not successful.
    He married and moved to Pacific Grove in 1930, where his father gave him a house and a small income while he continued to write. His third novel, Tortilla Flat (1935), was a critical and financial success, as were his subsequent novels In Dubious Battle (1935) and Of Mice and Men (1937), both of which offered social commentaries on injustices of various types. His work after World War II, including Cannery Row and The Pearl, continued to offer social criticism but became more sentimental. Steinbeck tried his hand at movie scripts in the 1940s, writing such successful films as Forgotten Village (1941) and Viva Zapata (1952). He also took up the serious study of marine biology and published a nonfiction book, The Sea of Cortez, in 1941. His book Travels with Charlie describes his trek across the U.S. in a camper truck with his poodle, Charlie, and his encounters with a fragmented America. Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in 1962 and died in New York in 1968. His remains were cremated and buried alongside his parents and maternal grandparents at the Salinas Cemetery.

Check back every Friday for a new installment of “This Week in Literary History.”

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of six nonfiction books that include the awards winning Literary Legends of the British Isles and America’s Literary Legends. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for more information. His books can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Literary-Legends-British-Isles-Writers/dp/0764344382/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1430490486&sr=8-4&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

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John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" was Published - February 6, 1937

This week (February 6-12) in literary history – John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men was published (February 6, 1937); Charles Dickens’ Sketches by Boz was published (February 7, 1836); Charles Dickens was born (February 7, 1812); Ann Radcliff died (February 7, 1823); Emile Zola was charged with libel and brought to trial (February 7, 1898); John Grisham was born (February 8, 1955); Fyodor Dostoyevsky died (February 9, 1881); Brendan Behan was born (February 9, 1923); Alex Haley died (February 10, 1992); Laura Ingalls Wilder died (February 10, 1957); William Congreve was born (February 10, 1670); Charles Lamb was born (February 10, 1775); Voltaire returned from exile (February 11, 1778); Sylvia Plath committed suicide (February 11, 1963); Judy Blume was born (February 12, 1938); Cotton Mather was born (February 12, 1663).

Highlighted Story of the Week -

On February 6, 1937, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the story of the bond between two migrant workers, was published. He adapted the book into a three-act play, which was produced the same year. The story brought national attention to Steinbeck's work, which had started to catch on in 1935 with the publication of his first successful novel, Tortilla Flat. Steinbeck was born and raised in the Salinas Valley, where his father was a county official and his mother a former schoolteacher. A good student and president of his senior class in high school, Steinbeck attended Stanford University intermittently in the early 1920s. In 1925, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a journalist while writing stories and novels. His first two books were not successful.

In 1930, he married Carol Henning, the first of his three wives, and moved to Pacific Grove, California. Steinbeck's father gave the couple a house and a small income while Steinbeck continued to write. His third novel, Tortilla Flat (1935), was a critical and financial success. In 1939, Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath, a novel tracing a fictional Oklahoma family as they lose their family farm in the Depression and move to California seeking a better life.

His work after World War II, including Cannery Row and The Pearl, continued to offer social criticism but became more sentimental. Steinbeck tried his hand at movie scripts in the 1940s, writing successful films like Forgotten Village (1941) and Viva Zapata (1952). He also took up the serious study of marine biology and published a nonfiction book, The Sea of Cortez, in 1941. His 1962 nonfiction book, Travels with Charlie, describes his travels across the United States in a camper truck with his poodle, Charlie. Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in 1962 and died from heart failure in New York in 1968. Steinbeck was buried at the Salinas Cemetery.

Check back every Friday for a new installment of “This Week in Literary History.”

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of six nonfiction books that includes the award winning Literary Legends of the British Isles and the recently published America’s Literary Legends. Visit Michael’s website www.michaelthomasbarry.com for more information. These books can be purchased from Amazon through the following links:

http://www.amazon.com/Literary-Legends-British-Isles-Writers/dp/0764344382/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423243396&sr=8-2&keywords=michael+thomas+barry

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John Steinbeck's "Tortilla Flat" was Published - 1935

On this date in American literary history – May 28, 1935, John Steinbeck's, Tortilla Flat, was published. Steinbeck, a native Californian, had studied writing intermittently at Stanford between 1920 and 1925, but never graduated. He moved to New York City and worked as a journalist while writing his first two novels, which were not successful. He married in 1930 and moved back to California with his wife. His father, a government official in Salinas County, gave the couple a house to live in while Steinbeck continued writing. Tortilla Flat describes the antics of several drifters who share a house in California. The novel's endearing comic tone captured the public's imagination, and the novel became a financial success. Steinbeck's next works, In Dubious Battle and Of Mice and Men, were both successful, and in 1938 his masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath was published. The novel, about the struggles of an Oklahoma family who lose their farm and become fruit pickers in California, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Steinbeck's work after World War II, including Cannery Row and The Pearl, became more sentimental. He also wrote several successful films, including Forgotten Village (1941) and Viva Zapata! (1952). He became interested in marine biology and published a nonfiction book, The Sea of Cortez, in 1941. His travel memoir, Travels with Charlie, describes his trek across the U.S. in a camper. Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in 1962 and died in New York in 1968.

 

 

Michael Thomas Barry is the author of numerous book which include America’s Literary Legends: The Lives and Burial Places of 50 Great Writers. The book is set for release in January 2015. Visit Michael’s website for more information www.michaelthomasbarry.com. His new book can be pre-ordered at Amazon through the following link:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Literary-Legends-Burial-Writers/dp/0764347020/ref=la_B0035CPN70_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401287250&sr=1-6