John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr - Major Works

John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr was a American writer, he wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and the novella Of Mice and Men (1937). He wrote a total of twenty-seven books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and five collections of short stories. In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Here are his major works during his writing career

Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a tragedy that was written originally intended for theater. The story is about two men Lennie and (whose history who know little of besides that Lennie's Aunt died and told George to take care of Lennie as her dying wish). George and Lennie are ranchers who are trying to raise enough money to buy their own farm/ranch.

The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath was written in 1939 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. The book was set in the Great Depression and describes a family of sharecroppers, the Joads, who were forced to leave their land due to the dust storms of the Dust Bowl. The book was made into a major motion picture in 1940 starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford.

East of Eden
Steinbeck deals with the nature of good and evil in this Salinas Valley saga. The story follows two families: the Hamiltons - based on Steinbeck's own maternal ancestry - and the Trasks, reprising stories about the Biblical Adam and his progeny. The book was published in 1952.