John Steinbeck was one of Americas greatest novelists, storywriters, playwright, and essayist. Born in Salinas California on February 27, 1902 he was the third child and only son. His parents exposed him to a wide range of literature, helping him on the path to become one of the worlds most prolific writers. John's education was firmly taken care of by his mother at an early age. His family was religious so the first book he was exposed to was the Bible. His whole family was consumed by reading; he did not have to find its wonders on his own. Since both of his parents liked to read aloud it became the principal source of their home entertainment, and it resulted in John being exposed to a wide range of literature. He dreaded school but his grades were good, and he managed to live up to his mothers seemingly impossible standards. His aunt Molly had no children but she was as determined as his mother that he would become an exemplar of culture, so she read to him and made him listen to recordings of opera. John's childhood friend Max Wayner, was born and raised in Mexico. He became a life-long friend and a source for inventing stories. In 1912, the same year he met Max, he got a chestnut pony he named Jill. Once during a heavy rainstorm, John worried about the ponys safety since it was stabled away from their house. This event influenced him twenty-four years later to write his fears down in the now famous story The Red Pony. By the time he entered high school, under the influence of Max, he lost some of his shyness and came out of his shell. He continued with his good grades, excelling in English and literature, reading at an exceptionally high level. He now was starting to write his own stories. Late at night in his room, John was writing stories, which he sent out to magazines under false names with no return address. He would then scan the magazines for months afterward, to see if they had printed any of them. He later stated that he was scared to death to get a rejection slip but more to get an acceptance. He was accepted to Stanford University and his intention was to become a successful writer. He listed his career choices as teaching, journalism, and law to satisfy his parents. His parents were barely able to afford this expense, and they required him to commit to his studies in addition to getting a job for spending money. He had his first book, Cup of Gold, published in 1929, but it was hardly noticed on the bookshelf. In 1930 he married his girlfriend Carol, they lived in Pacific Grove (about 20 miles west of his hometown). During the 1930s he wrote many stories, four of these books are very well known , The Red Pony, Tortilla Flat, Of Mice and Men, and Grapes of Wrath winning him a Pulitzer Prize in 1940. By now he was well on his way to his desired carrier path. A newspaper asked John to write articles on a situation referred to as The Harvest Gypsies, the poor migrant farm-laborers. During his observation and visits with these people the future of his novel The Grapes of Wrath was surely born. John and Carol traveled to Hollywood for the filming of The Grapes of Wrath. John divorced Carol in 1942 after twelve years of marriage and married the singer Gwendolyn Conger the following year. They had two children and then divorced in 1949. In 1950 he married Elaine Scott. John Steinbeck died in New York City on December 20, 1968 after a succession of heart attacks and is buried in Salinas, California. Steinbeck has given Americans the gift of stories that have captured history for all to relive, well after the past may be forgotten by many. His many short stories and novels are read again and again by all ages. John Steinbeck wrote to reveal the simple every day life events in America, carefully expressing their mood and culture.