John Steinbeck
The Famous Author
The Life of John Steinbeck
Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California. As a young boy he formed an early appreciation of the land and would lock himself in his room to write stories and poems. Steinbeck enrolled in Stanford University in 1919, but he soon dropped out of college and worked as a laborer to scrape by a living. At this stage of his life, Steinbeck wrote books that received only minimal reviews. It was not until 1935, when his novel "Tortilla Flat" was published that Steinbeck achieved real success.
His Contribution to America
The Significance of Steinbeck's Writing
Steinbeck's works gave voice to the working class Americans. "Tortilla Flat" is about a group of friends of Spanish descent that are living in a house inherited by the friends. These paisans are living jobless right after WWI. Even though Steinbeck was known for writing about tramps, hobos, and ragamuffins, he made his characters relatable to everyone and emphasized the hardships that everyone was going through. Most of Steinbeck's writing eventually turned into Major Motion Pictures, including "The Grapes of Wrath", "Tortilla Flat", and "Of Mice and Men".
Of Mice and Men
"Of Mice and Men captures the dour air of the Depression, when no one could find jobs, but it also has a touch of friendship that shows that there is hope.
The Grapes of Wrath
"The Grapes of Wrath" earned Steinbeck a Pulitzer Prize. It's about a poor family caught in the Dust Bowl that decides to move to California, seeking jobs, fortunes, land, and a future for themselves.
East of Eden
"East of Eden is a complex tale of misfortune and unhappiness. Steinbeck considered it one of his greatest works. It relates to the struggle to find a happy medium during the Great Depression.
John Steinbeck vs Markus Zusak
Markus Zusak is also a spectacular writer. He was born in 1975 and is most famous for his two novels "The Book Thief" and "I Am The Messenger". In "The Book Thief" Zusak brings to light the misery of WWI from a different perspective. A German perspective. Like Steinbeck, Zusak uncovers the rarely seen side of the world as we know it. For Steinbeck it was the workers and the poor, and for Zusak it was all the horror that the Germans had to bear. The Book Thief" is also a major motion picture.
The Book Thief
The main character, Lisle, is poor with little to no food and harboring a Jew, while Germany is strangling under Hitler's words. Lisle thirsts for words of her own and the Book Thief is born.
I Am The Messenger
"I am The Messenger" is about how one regular person can change the lives of everyone around him.
Markus Zusak
Zusak was born in Australia. He says that "The Book Thief" was mostly inspired by stories that his mother and father told him. His mother is from Germany and his father is from Australia.
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