John Steinbeck

An item at American Writers Museum

Propelled by an abiding passion for nature, moral outrage over injustice in its many forms, and a deep belief in the illuminating power of stories, Nobel laureate John Steinbeck drew on myths and the Bible to tap into archetypal human experiences.

Steinbeck was determined to be a writer from an early age. A lifelong Californian, he abandoned his studies at Stanford University to work as a laborer, an experience that served as the impetus for his most powerful fiction. In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) all explore the conflict between the individual and a brutal economic system.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum