The 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the American author John Steinbeck (1902–1968) "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception."
106-596: John Ernst Steinbeck ( / ˈ s t aɪ n b ɛ k / STYNE -bek ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters." During his writing career, he authored 33 books, with one book coauthored alongside Edward Ricketts , including 16 novels, six non-fiction books , and two collections of short stories . He
212-579: A hawk for his position on the war. His sons served in Vietnam before his death, and Steinbeck visited one son in the battlefield. At one point he was allowed to man a machine-gun watch position at night at a firebase while his son and other members of his platoon slept. Steinbeck and his first wife, Carol Henning, married in January 1930 in Los Angeles. By 1940, their marriage was beginning to suffer, and it ended
318-453: A Swedish artist and a confidant of his: "I have put all the things I have wanted to write all my life. This is 'the book'... having done this, I can do anything I want". Also in 1952, John Steinbeck appeared as the on-screen narrator of 20th Century Fox 's film, O. Henry's Full House . Although Steinbeck later admitted he was uncomfortable before the camera, he provided interesting introductions to several filmed adaptations of short stories by
424-518: A classic early textbook on ecology . Ricketts became a proponent of ecological thinking, in which man was only one part of a great chain of being , caught in a web of life too large for him to control or understand. Meanwhile, Ricketts operated a biological lab on the coast of Monterey, selling biological samples of small animals, fish, rays, starfish, turtles, and other marine forms to schools and colleges. Between 1930 and 1936, Steinbeck and Ricketts became close friends. Steinbeck's wife began working at
530-447: A degree in 1925. He traveled to New York City where he took odd jobs while trying to write. When he failed to publish his work, he returned to California and worked in 1928 as a tour guide and caretaker at Lake Tahoe , where he met Carol Henning, his first wife. They married in January 1930 in Los Angeles, where, with friends, he attempted to make money by manufacturing plaster mannequins . When their money ran out six months later due to
636-731: A disappointment. Steinbeck wrote two more stage plays ( The Moon Is Down and Burning Bright ). Of Mice and Men was also adapted as a 1939 Hollywood film , with Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie (he had filled the role in the Los Angeles stage production) and Burgess Meredith as George. Meredith and Steinbeck became close friends for the next two decades. Another film based on the novella was made in 1992 starring Gary Sinise as George and John Malkovich as Lennie. Steinbeck followed this wave of success with The Grapes of Wrath (1939), based on newspaper articles about migrant agricultural workers that he had written in San Francisco. In August 1936,
742-561: A former school teacher, shared Steinbeck's passion for reading and writing. The Steinbecks were members of the Episcopal Church , although Steinbeck later became agnostic . Steinbeck lived in a small rural valley (no more than a frontier settlement) set in fertile soil, about 25 miles from the Pacific Coast . Both valley and coast would serve as settings for some of his best fiction. He spent his summers working on nearby ranches including
848-537: A gang of paisanos , asocial individuals who, in their wild revels, are almost caricatures of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table . It has been said that in the United States this book came as a welcome antidote to the gloom of the then prevailing depression." Tortilla Flat was adapted as a 1942 film of the same name , starring Spencer Tracy , Hedy Lamarr and John Garfield , a friend of Steinbeck. With some of
954-655: A mistake was made, because obviously Karen Blixen ought to have received the Nobel prize. Instead, it was a kind of reverse provincialism." Blixen eventually died in September 7, 1962, making her ineligible further for the prize. The selection of Steinbeck was heavily criticized, and described as "one of the Academy's biggest mistakes" in one Swedish newspaper. While there were some positive reactions in America, The New York Times asked why
1060-561: A parable that it almost can't be". Steinbeck traveled to Cuernavaca , Mexico for the filming with Wagner who helped with the script; on this trip he would be inspired by the story of Emiliano Zapata , and subsequently wrote a film script ( Viva Zapata! ) directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn . In 1947, Steinbeck made his first trip to the Soviet Union with photographer Robert Capa . They visited Moscow , Kyiv , Tbilisi , Batumi and Stalingrad , some of
1166-425: A quiet side street at 147 11th Street, without any plaque or special sign, virtually overlooked by most Steinbeck fans. Another Steinbeck-related house is at 222 Central Avenue, which was his grandmother's house. A golden statue of Steinbeck in the front yard stood for years before it was removed. In Steinbeck's book Sweet Thursday , a chapter is dedicated to describing a (probably fictional) rivalry that arose among
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#17328479254651272-550: A short-lived farming colony in Palestine that disbanded after Arab attackers killed his brother and raped his brother's wife and mother-in-law. He arrived in the United States in 1858, shortening the family name to Steinbeck. The family farm in Heiligenhaus , Mettmann , Germany, is still named "Großsteinbeck". His father, John Ernst Steinbeck (1862–1935), served as Monterey County treasurer. John's mother, Olive Hamilton (1867–1934),
1378-589: A slow market, Steinbeck and Carol moved back to Pacific Grove, California , to a cottage owned by his father, on the Monterey Peninsula a few blocks outside the Monterey city limits. The elder Steinbecks gave John free housing, paper for his manuscripts, and from 1928, loans that allowed him to write without looking for work. During the Great Depression , Steinbeck bought a small boat, and later claimed that he
1484-514: A social truth-teller [and is an] authentic realist fully equal to his predecessors Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway ." In 2010, Swedish Academy 's archives later revealed that Danish writer Karen Blixen was a favorite candidate since 1959 but was missed out because the committee were concerned about showing favoritism to Scandinavian writers. "The Nobel academy was probably afraid to appear provincial," Johannes Riis, literary director at Gyldendals publishing house told Politiken . "And so
1590-435: A social truth-teller [and is an] authentic realist fully equal to his predecessors Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway." Although modest about his own talent as a writer, Steinbeck talked openly of his own admiration of certain writers. In 1953, he wrote that he considered cartoonist Al Capp , creator of the satirical Li'l Abner , "possibly the best writer in the world today". At his own first Nobel Prize press conference he
1696-584: A successful fishing village at Point Alones, an area between Lover's Point and the western edge of Monterey.The Chinese were the first to recognize the potential for commercial fishing in the Monterey Bay . Others quickly saw the benefit, however, and eventually pushed the Chinese from their daytime fishing grounds. Being resourceful, they began fishing for squid in the night, thus beginning California's squid fishery – now one of California's largest fisheries.’ By 1859
1802-456: A valley near Monterey, which was discovered by a Spanish corporal while chasing runaway Indian slaves. In 1933 Steinbeck published The Red Pony , a 100-page, four-chapter story weaving in memories of Steinbeck's childhood. To a God Unknown , named after a Vedic hymn, follows the life of a homesteader and his family in California, depicting a character with a primal and pagan worship of
1908-402: A writer. He wrote a daily letter to his editor while writing the book. Through them, Steinbeck explored himself, his creative process, his love for writing, and his family life, for he had just married his third wife, Elaine Scott, the year prior. Steinbeck, according to Elaine Scott, considered East of Eden his magnum opus , his greatest novel. As the book was released, he wrote to John Beskow,
2014-464: A year later. In 1942, after his divorce from Carol, Steinbeck married Gwyndolyn "Gwyn" Conger. With his second wife Steinbeck had two sons, Thomas ("Thom") Myles Steinbeck (1944–2016) and John Steinbeck IV (1946–1991). In May 1948, Steinbeck returned to California on an emergency trip to be with his friend Ed Ricketts, who had been seriously injured when a train struck his car. Ricketts died hours before Steinbeck arrived. Upon returning home, Steinbeck
2120-578: Is decorated for Christmas each December with an abundance of lights and decorations. Candy Cane Lane has been a local tradition for more than 60 years. Hopkins Marine Station maintains a campus next to the Monterey Bay Aquarium . It was founded in 1892, originally at the site of Lover's Point, making it the oldest marine laboratory on the US Pacific Coast, and the third-oldest in the US. Created after
2226-567: Is on the Pacific Ocean coast between Monterey and Pebble Beach, about 40 mi (65 km) south of Santa Cruz and about 120 mi (195 km) south of San Francisco . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10 km ), and about 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km ) are land and 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km ) (28.28%) are covered by water. Asilomar , Lovers Point, and
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#17328479254652332-755: Is the location of the Point Pinos Lighthouse , the Monarch Grove Sanctuary and the Asilomar Conference Center . The first people to inhabit Pacific Grove were members of the Ohlone Rumsen tribe who lived between Big Sur and San Francisco since the 6th century CE. Grinding stones from this tribe still exist in Pacific Grove. The second group of people to come to Pacific Grove were Chinese immigrants as early as 1853. They established
2438-401: Is the next city, 5 mi (8 km) south, and the community of Big Sur is 30 mi (50 km) south. Pacific Grove is a favorite vacation getaway for San Francisco Bay Area residents, as it is located two hours south of San Francisco. The town does not allow development on the waterside of the ocean-front street, so that the beaches and scenic points are unobstructed. Pacific Grove
2544-582: Is widely known for the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multigeneration epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Pulitzer Prize –winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and part of the American literary canon . By the 75th anniversary of its publishing date, it had sold 14 million copies. Much of Steinbeck's work employs settings in his native central California , particularly in
2650-688: The New York Herald Tribune and worked with the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA). It was at that time he became friends with Will Lang Jr. of Time / Life magazine. During the war, Steinbeck accompanied the commando raids of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 's Beach Jumpers program, which launched small-unit diversion operations against German-held islands in the Mediterranean . At one point, he accompanied Fairbanks on an invasion of an island off
2756-651: The California State Senate , it is represented by John Laird as part of the 17th Senate district . In the United States House of Representatives , Pacific Grove is in California's 19th congressional district , represented by Democrat Jimmy Panetta . The 2010 United States Census reported that Pacific Grove had a population of 15,041. The population density was 3,758.1 people/sq mi (1,451.0 people/km ). The racial makeup of Pacific Grove
2862-516: The Knights of the Round Table . Glastonbury Tor was visible from the cottage, and Steinbeck also visited the nearby hillfort of Cadbury Castle , the supposed site of King Arthur's court of Camelot . The unfinished manuscript was published after his death in 1976, as The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights . Steinbeck grew up enthralled by the stories of King Arthur, and the Steinbecks recounted
2968-769: The Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. It was originally named the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory, and was located on what is now Lovers Point. It was relocated to its current site at Point Alones. In the 1980s, Pacific Grove was the site of the pioneering microcomputer software company Digital Research . Originally located in Gary Kildall's house on the corner of Lighthouse and Willow, it later moved to offices on Central Avenue. On October 12, 1997, John Denver died when he crashed into
3074-542: The Pacific Ocean off Pacific Grove in his personal plane. Pacific Grove was the last dry town in California. Due to the city's religious and gated history, alcohol was not served to the public until July 4, 1969, at the grand opening of the Pacific Grove Art Center by ElMarie Dyke, its founder. This caused much controversy because the law was not to take effect until November of that year. Ironically, ElMarie
3180-844: The Post Ranch in Big Sur . He later labored with migrant workers on Spreckels sugar beet farms. There he learned of the harsher aspects of the migrant life and the darker side of human nature, which supplied him with material expressed in Of Mice and Men . He explored his surroundings, walking across local forests, fields, and farms. While working at Spreckels Sugar Company, he sometimes worked in their laboratory, which gave him time to write. He had considerable mechanical aptitude and fondness for repairing things he owned. Steinbeck graduated from Salinas High School in 1919 and went on to study English literature at Stanford University near Palo Alto , leaving without
3286-585: The Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His works frequently explored the themes of fate and injustice, especially as applied to downtrodden or everyman protagonists . Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California . He was of German, English, and Irish descent. Johann Adolf Großsteinbeck (1828–1913), Steinbeck's paternal grandfather, was a founder of Mount Hope ,
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3392-712: The Socrates -inspired spirit of resistance in an occupied village in Northern Europe , was made into a film almost immediately. It was presumed that the unnamed country of the novel was Norway and the occupiers the Germans. In 1945, Steinbeck received the King Haakon VII Freedom Cross for his literary contributions to the Norwegian resistance movement . In 1943, Steinbeck served as a World War II war correspondent for
3498-520: The main coronary arteries . In accordance with his wishes, his body was cremated, and interred on March 4, 1969 at the Hamilton family gravesite in Salinas, with those of his parents and maternal grandparents. His third wife, Elaine, was buried in the plot in 2004. He had written to his doctor that he felt deeply "in his flesh" that he would not survive his physical death, and that the biological end of his life
3604-571: The monarch butterfly , the Monarch Grove Sanctuary , is situated in the northwest part of town imbedded in residential neighborhoods in mixed oak forests. These monarchs migrate 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) to reach Pacific Grove after their summer in the Rocky Mountains , often soaring as high as 3,000 meters (9,800 ft). The black-and-orange monarch butterflies spend much of the fall and winter in Monterey pine and eucalyptus trees, roughly from
3710-414: The "Cup of Gold", and on the women, brighter than the sun, who were said to be found there. In 1930, Steinbeck wrote a werewolf murder mystery, Murder at Full Moon , that has never been published because Steinbeck considered it unworthy of publication. Between 1930 and 1933, Steinbeck produced three shorter works. The Pastures of Heaven , published in 1932, consists of twelve interconnected stories about
3816-499: The 1890s and subsequent period. Artists of the En plein air school in both Europe and the United States were seeking an outdoor venue with natural beauty, and Pacific Grove became a magnet for this movement. William Adam was an English painter who first moved to Monterey and then decided on Pacific Grove for his home in 1906. At about the same time, Eugen Neuhaus , a German painter, arrived in Pacific Grove with his new bride. Charles B. Judson
3922-417: The 7,020 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present. About 5.0% were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 0.8% were same-sex married couples or partnerships . About 37.2% were made up of individuals, and 14.4%had someone living alone who
4028-399: The 7,316 households, 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were not families. About 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10, and the average family size
4134-432: The Academy's biggest mistakes" in one Swedish newspaper. The reaction of American literary critics was also harsh. The New York Times asked why the Nobel committee gave the award to an author whose "limited talent is, in his best books, watered down by tenth-rate philosophising", noting that "[T]he international character of the award and the weight attached to it raise questions about the mechanics of selection and how close
4240-490: The California coast to give himself time off from his writing and to collect biological specimens, which Ricketts sold for a living. Their coauthored book, Sea of Cortez (December 1941), about a collecting expedition to the Gulf of California in 1940, which was part travelogue and part natural history, published just as the U.S. entered World War II, never found an audience and did not sell well. However, in 1951, Steinbeck republished
4346-566: The Chinese fishermen at the closing of the Methodist summer camp was a tradition which continued until a few years ago. The city of Pacific Grove originated as a Methodist Christian seaside resort. In 1874, Reverend J.W. Ross, a Methodist minister and his wife, visited the area and decided it would be an ideal location for a proposed Methodist Retreat. The pine, oak and cypress trees, along with many varieties of wild plants and flowers, made Pacific Grove an attractive place for camping. On June 1, 1875,
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4452-566: The March 1955 premiere, wrote "Beautifully acted, and superbly directed by Elia Kazan, it is bound to be one of the year’s important contributions to screen literature." From March to October 1959, Steinbeck and his third wife Elaine rented a cottage in the hamlet of Discove, Redlynch , near Bruton in Somerset , England, while Steinbeck researched his retelling of the Arthurian legend of King Arthur and
4558-404: The Nobel committee gave the award to an author whose "limited talent is, in his best books, watered down by tenth-rate philosophising", adding, "we think it interesting that the laurel was not awarded to a writer ... whose significance, influence and sheer body of work had already made a more profound impression on the literature of our age". Steinbeck himself, when asked if he deserved the Nobel on
4664-420: The Nobel committee is to the main currents of American writing. ... [W]e think it interesting that the laurel was not awarded to a writer ... whose significance, influence and sheer body of work had already made a more profound impression on the literature of our age". Steinbeck, when asked on the day of the announcement if he deserved the Nobel, replied: "Frankly, no." Biographer Jackson Benson notes, "[T]his honor
4770-594: The November 2022 election, the mayor is Bill Peake, and the six councilmembers are: Joe Amelio, Debby Beck, Luke Coletti, Lori McDonnell, Chaps Poduri, and Nick Smith. At the county level, Pacific Grove is represented on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors by Mary Adams . In the California State Assembly , Pacific Grove is represented by Robert Rivas as part of the 29th Assembly district . In
4876-677: The Pacific Grove Retreat Association was formed in San Francisco to administer the Christian Seaside Resort in Pacific Grove. The Pacific Improvement Company (which later became Del Monte Properties) and David Jacks provided the land for the Retreat area. This Retreat Area, as surveyed at that time by St. John Cox, covers the area from the Bay up to Lighthouse Avenue and from First Street to Pacific Avenue. In November 1879, after
4982-605: The San Francisco News asked Steinbeck to personally interview multiple families in the impoverished Hoovervilles of the San Joaquin Valley . As Steinbeck visited the slums that hugged the highways across the Central Valley, he was harrowed by what he saw. He talked with multiple families and vowed to make a book depicting their struggles. It is commonly considered his greatest work. According to The New York Times , it
5088-511: The adventures of a group of classless and usually homeless young men in Monterey after World War I , just before U.S. prohibition . They are portrayed in ironic comparison to mythic knights on a quest and reject nearly all the standard mores of American society in enjoyment of a dissolute life devoted to wine, lust, camaraderie and petty theft. In presenting the 1962 Nobel Prize to Steinbeck, the Swedish Academy cited "spicy and comic tales about
5194-457: The autumnal equinox through the spring (or vernal) equinox. Most butterflies are protected in the city's Butterfly Sanctuary. City Ordinance No. 352 makes killing or threatening a butterfly a misdemeanor, punishable by a $ 1,000 fine. Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area , Lovers Point State Marine Reserve , Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area and Asilomar State Marine Reserve are marine protected areas in
5300-483: The battle to save the village a firehose was suspiciously cut thereby causing it to completely burn down. The families, without a village to call their own, soon dispersed throughout the region.’. The first Chinese American born at the village did receive property restitution elsewhere.The loss is memorialized every year in a Walk of Remembrance in mid-May. It is notable that not only was the Point Alones fishing village
5406-592: The city was $ 31,277. About 3.0% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over. Local radio station KAZU-FM - 90.3 was created by Don Mussel in 1977 in Pacific Grove, but is now located in Seaside, California . Television service for the community comes from the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz designated market area. Local newspapers include The Monterey County Herald and
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#17328479254655512-438: The city. The population density was 5,399.2 people/sq mi (2,084.6 people/km ). The 8,032 housing units averaged 2,793.9 units per square mile (1,078.7 units/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 88.04% White, 1.14% African American, 0.55% Native American, 4.50% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 1.78% from other races, and 3.73% from two or more races. About 7.14% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of
5618-583: The coast of Italy and used a Thompson submachine gun to help capture Italian and German prisoners. Some of his writings from this period were incorporated in the documentary Once There Was a War (1958). Steinbeck returned from the war with a number of wounds from shrapnel and some psychological trauma. He treated himself, as ever, by writing. He wrote Alfred Hitchcock 's movie, Lifeboat (1944), and with screenwriter Jack Wagner , A Medal for Benny (1945), about paisanos from Tortilla Flat going to war. He later requested that his name be removed from
5724-609: The construction of Holman's Department Store, the Grove Theater, and the Forest Hill Hotel embodied the vibrant optimism of the 1920s. During this era, Pacific Grove witnessed a growing accessibility to automobile tourists and a rising population of year-round residents. Additionally, two of these structures exemplify significant architectural trends of the period, as both the Grove Theater and Forest Hill Hotel feature elements influenced by Spanish -style design. This stylistic shift
5830-436: The country one last time. Steinbeck's last novel, The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), examines moral decline in the United States. The protagonist Ethan grows discontented with his own moral decline and that of those around him. The book has a very different tone from Steinbeck's amoral and ecological stance in earlier works such as Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row . It was not a critical success. Many reviewers recognized
5936-592: The county, the Kern County Board of Supervisors banned the book from the county's publicly funded schools and libraries in August 1939. This ban lasted until January 1941. Of the controversy, Steinbeck wrote, "The vilification of me out here from the large landowners and bankers is pretty bad. The latest is a rumor started by them that the Okies hate me and have threatened to kill me for lying about them. I'm frightened at
6042-470: The credits of Lifeboat, because he believed the final version of the film had racist undertones. In 1944, bruised, battered, and homesick, Steinbeck wrote Cannery Row (1945), a love letter to the city of Monterey. In 1958, Ocean View Avenue in Monterey , the setting of the book, was renamed Cannery Row in his honor. After the war, he wrote The Pearl (1947), knowing it would be filmed eventually. Steinbeck's relationship with Hollywood had solidified to
6148-487: The critical reception of this novel, and the critical outcry when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, Steinbeck published no more fiction in the remaining six years before his death. In 1962, Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for literature for his "realistic and imaginative writing, combining as it does sympathetic humor and keen social perception". The selection was heavily criticized, and described as "one of
6254-474: The day of the announcement, replied: "Frankly, no." Today, however, many of Steinbecks works are widely read and considered classics of Western literature. Pacific Grove, California Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County , California , in the United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,090. Pacific Grove is located between Point Pinos and Monterey . The city
6360-451: The downtrodden and the poor characterizes his writing. It is expressed with a compassionate sense of humor and a sharp eye for social and economic injustices. His other outstanding works include East of Eden (1952), Tortilla Flat (1935) and The Pearl (1947). Steinbeck was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature on 11 occasions, the first time in 1943 . In 1962, the Nobel committee received two nominations for him. Included in
6466-560: The endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature. Fifty years later, in 2012, the Nobel Prize opened its archives and it was revealed that Steinbeck was a "compromise choice" among a shortlist consisting of Steinbeck, British authors Robert Graves and Lawrence Durrell , French dramatist Jean Anouilh and Danish author Karen Blixen . The declassified documents showed that he
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#17328479254656572-541: The first Americans to visit many parts of the USSR since the communist revolution . Steinbeck's 1948 book about their experiences, A Russian Journal , was illustrated with Capa's photos. In 1948, the year the book was published, Steinbeck was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters . Over the course of 276 days in 1952, Steinbeck wrote the first draft of East of Eden , a book he considered his ultimate test as
6678-871: The highest number of nominations (4 nominations) followed by Jean-Paul Sartre and Friedrich Dürrenmatt (3 nominations each). Three of the nominees were women namely Karen Blixen , Gertrud von le Fort and Giulia Scappino Murena . The authors Antonio Acevedo Hernández , Gerrit Achterberg , Richard Aldington , Jean Amrouche , Georges Bataille , Pierre Benoit , E. E. Cummings , Maria Dermoût , Jean Devanny , Mouloud Feraoun , Wilfrid Wilson Gibson , Mary Gilmore , Patrick Hamilton , Pierre Hamp, Agnes Henningsen , Robinson Jeffers , Helge Krog , Alda Lara , María Rosa Lida de Malkiel , Arthur Oncken Lovejoy , Francisco Méndez , Patrícia Rehder Galvão ( known as Pagu), Vita Sackville-West , Hajime Tanabe , Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar , Sandu Tudor , Mohammad Yamin , and Ouyang Yuqian died in 1962 without having been nominated for
6784-501: The importance of the novel but were disappointed that it was not another Grapes of Wrath . In the Nobel Prize presentation speech the next year, however, the Swedish Academy cited it most favorably: "Here he attained the same standard which he set in The Grapes of Wrath. Again he holds his position as an independent expounder of the truth with an unbiased instinct for what is genuinely American, be it good or bad." Apparently taken aback by
6890-418: The intervening coastline afford surfing , which is challenging due to near-shore rocks , albeit waves are typically moderate in height. Owing to its coastal location, Pacific Grove's climate is mild and fairly consistent throughout the year, essentially the same as in neighboring Monterey, with most of the rain falling from November through April. Extreme temperatures are rare, and fog is common, especially in
6996-500: The lab as secretary-bookkeeper. Steinbeck helped on an informal basis. They formed a common bond based on their love of music and art, and John learned biology and Ricketts's ecological philosophy. When Steinbeck became emotionally upset, Ricketts sometimes played music for him. Steinbeck's first novel, Cup of Gold , published in 1929, is loosely based on the life and death of privateer Henry Morgan . It centers on Morgan's assault and sacking of Panamá Viejo , sometimes referred to as
7102-489: The land he works. Before his novel Tortilla Flat (1935), Steinbeck was an obscure writer "with little success". Although he had not achieved the status of a well-known writer, he never doubted that he would achieve greatness. Steinbeck achieved his first critical success with Tortilla Flat , a novel set in post-war Monterey, California, that won the California Commonwealth Club 's Gold Medal. It portrays
7208-451: The late night and early morning, all year. This region experiences warm and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen climate classification , Pacific Grove has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate , Csb on climate maps. Pacific Grove is governed by a city council consisting of a mayor and six councilmembers, all elected at-large. As of
7314-423: The legendary writer O. Henry . About the same time, Steinbeck recorded readings of several of his short stories for Columbia Records ; the recordings provide a record of Steinbeck's deep, resonant voice. Following the success of Viva Zapata ! , Steinbeck collaborated with Kazan on the 1955 film East of Eden , James Dean 's movie debut. Jack Moffitt of The Hollywood Reporter , in a review that appeared after
7420-460: The marine biologist Ed Ricketts , who became a close friend and mentor to Steinbeck during the following decade, teaching him a great deal about philosophy and biology. Ricketts, usually very quiet, yet likable, with an inner self-sufficiency and an encyclopedic knowledge of diverse subjects, became a focus of Steinbeck's attention. Ricketts had taken a college class from Warder Clyde Allee , a biologist and ecological theorist, who would go on to write
7526-481: The narrative portion of the book as The Log from the Sea of Cortez , under his name only (though Ricketts had written some of it). This work remains in print today. Although Carol accompanied Steinbeck on the trip, their marriage was beginning to suffer, and ended a year later, in 1941, even as Steinbeck worked on the manuscript for the book. In 1942, after his divorce from Carol he married Gwyndolyn "Gwyn" Conger. Ricketts
7632-487: The oldest and longest running fishing village on the West Coast, but also had just as many women as men living there. Even through the years of the national Chinese Exclusion Act there were many positive interactions with the summer Methodist Camp, later to be the town of Pacific Grove. The Methodist women taught English at the village and no doubt fish would have been purchased. Also, a lighted boat parade originally put on by
7738-492: The picture, so well drawn, make you dread sometimes to begin the next chapter, and yet you cannot lay the book down or even skip a page." After visiting California labor camps in 1940, a reporter asked her if she believed that The Grapes of Wrath was exaggerated. Roosevelt responded, "I have never believed that The Grapes of Wrath was exaggerated". In the 1930s and 1940s, Ed Ricketts strongly influenced Steinbeck's writing. Steinbeck frequently took small trips with Ricketts along
7844-687: The point where his books were being green-lit as movies as they released. The story first appeared in the December 1945 issue of Woman's Home Companion magazine as "The Pearl of the World". It was illustrated by John Alan Maxwell . The novel is an imaginative telling of a story which Steinbeck had heard in La Paz in 1940, as related in The Log From the Sea of Cortez , which he described in Chapter 11 as being "so much like
7950-458: The prize. Danish author Karen Blixen and German translator Rudolf Alexander Schröder died weeks before the announcement. In 2012 (50 years later), the Nobel Prize opened its archives and it was revealed that Steinbeck was a "compromise choice" among a shortlist consisting of Steinbeck, British authors Robert Graves and Lawrence Durrell , French dramatist Jean Anouilh and Danish author Karen Blixen . The declassified documents showed that he
8056-546: The proceeds, he built a summer ranch-home in Los Gatos . Steinbeck began to write a series of "California novels" and Dust Bowl fiction, set among common people during the Great Depression . These included In Dubious Battle , Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath . He also wrote an article series called The Harvest Gypsies for the San Francisco News about the plight of the migrant worker. Of Mice and Men
8162-540: The property this village sat on belonged to David Jacks (businessman) who owned almost the entire area of the Monterey Peninsula. Jacks sold the property to The Pacific Improvement Company which attempted removal of the Chinese American community in 1905 due to several development interests including Stanford University on which Hopkin's Marine Station now sits. In 1906 there was a fire at the village and during
8268-525: The rolling might of this damned thing. It is completely out of hand; I mean a kind of hysteria about the book is growing that is not healthy." The then First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, already a fan of Steinbeck's work from Of Mice and Men , defended Steinbeck's work in her nationally syndicated newspaper column, "My Day". She wrote: "Now I must tell you that I have just finished a book which is an unforgettable experience in reading. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, both repels and attracts you. The horrors of
8374-568: The shortlisted nominees were Steinbeck, Robert Graves , Lawrence Durrell , Jean Anouilh , and Karen Blixen . Steinbeck was awarded eventually, but the four never received the prize. In total, the Swedish Academy received 86 nominations for 66 writers. Fifteen of the nominees were nominated first-time among them William Heinesen , Pietro Ubaldi , Ronald Syme , Carl Zuckmayer , André Schwarz-Bart , Josep Carner and Eyvind Johnson (awarded in 1974 ). British novelist E. M. Forster earned
8480-568: The site of Mount Hope , a farm community established by his grandfather, whose brother, Friedrich Großsteinbeck, had been murdered by Arab marauders in 1858 during the Outrages at Jaffa . John Steinbeck died in New York City, where his writing career had begun, on December 20, 1968, during the 1968 flu pandemic of heart disease and congestive heart failure . He was 66, and had been a lifelong smoker. An autopsy showed nearly complete occlusion of
8586-428: The summer campers returned home, Robert Louis Stevenson wandered into the deserted campgrounds: "I have never been in any place so dreamlike. Indeed, it was not so much like a deserted town as like a scene upon the stage by daylight, and with no one on the boards." The Pacific Grove post office opened in 1886, closed later that year, and was reopened in 1887. Pacific Grove incorporated in 1889. The El Carmelo Hotel
8692-452: The time spent in Somerset as the happiest of their life together. Travels with Charley: In Search of America is a travelogue of his 1960 road trip with his poodle Charley. Steinbeck bemoans his lost youth and roots, while dispensing both criticism and praise for the United States. According to Steinbeck's son Thom, Steinbeck made the journey because he knew he was dying and wanted to see
8798-435: The town's residents over the game of roque . Local traditions include a Butterfly Parade held in early October to celebrate the return of the monarch butterfly to its wintering habitat. Mid-April, a Good Old Days festival is held downtown, which includes rides, crafts booths, food, entertainment, and a parade. On the last Saturday of July there is a pet parade. Candy Cane Lane is a neighborhood of Morse Dr and Platt Park that
8904-562: The waters around Pacific Grove. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems. Monterey Bay is a marine protected sanctuary. The principal noise source in Pacific Grove is State Route 68 . There are approximately 800 residents exposed to sound levels of 60 CNEL or above, making Pacific Grove noticeably quieter than its neighbor Monterey, which has more tourist traffic and more through traffic. The town sits between its two well known neighbors, Pebble Beach and Monterey . Carmel-by-the-Sea
9010-465: Was 2.75. The age distribution was 17.8% under 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 50,254, and for a family was $ 59,569. Males had a median income of $ 43,897 versus $ 35,924 for females. The per capita income for
9116-449: Was 3.8%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%. 7,071 people (47.0% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,615 people (50.6%) lived in rental housing units. Over 1300 structures were listed on the town's historic register, giving Pacific Grove the largest number of historic homes and structures for its size on the West Coast. As of the census of 2000, 15,522 people, 7,316 households, and 3,972 families were residing in
9222-580: Was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.09; the average family size was 2.74. In the city, the age distribution was 16.5% under 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 32.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 or older. The median age was 48.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males. The 8,169 housing units averaged 2,041.1 units per square mile (788.1 units/km ), of which 3,205 (45.7%) were owner-occupied, and 3,815 (54.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate
9328-404: Was 84.5% White, 1.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 5.8% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 3.1% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.7% of the population. The Census reported that 14,686 people (97.6% of the population) lived in households, 140 (0.9%) lived in noninstitutionalized group quarters, and 215 (1.4%) were institutionalized. Of
9434-661: Was Pacific Grove's first hotel, opening to guests on May 20, 1887. It was sometimes called the sister of Monterey's Hotel Del Monte . It was located on Lighthouse Avenue between Fountain and Grand avenues and owned by the Pacific Improvement Company (PIC). In 1907, the name changed to the Pacific Grove Hotel. In 1917, the PIC decided to dismantle it and use the wood in the reconstruction of The Lodge at Pebble Beach that had burned down on December 17, 1917. The empty block
9540-842: Was Steinbeck's model for the character of "Doc" in Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954), "Friend Ed" in Burning Bright , and characters in In Dubious Battle (1936) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Ecological themes recur in Steinbeck's novels of the period. Steinbeck's close relations with Ricketts ended in 1941 when Steinbeck moved away from Pacific Grove and divorced his wife Carol. Ricketts's biographer Eric Enno Tamm opined that, except for East of Eden (1952), Steinbeck's writing declined after Ricketts's untimely death in 1948. Steinbeck's novel The Moon Is Down (1942), about
9646-423: Was a drama about the dreams of two migrant agricultural laborers in California. Steinbeck, on vacations to Mexico, witnessed sold-out theater troupes with often poor and illiterate workers consisting of the audience. As such, Steinbeck chose to write Of Mice and Men with a stage play in mind. It was critically acclaimed and Steinbeck's 1962 Nobel Prize citation called it a "little masterpiece". Its stage production
9752-432: Was a hit, starring Wallace Ford as George and Broderick Crawford as George's companion, the mentally childlike, but physically powerful itinerant farmhand Lennie. Steinbeck refused to travel from his home in California to attend any performance of the play during its New York run, telling director George S. Kaufman that the play as it existed in his own mind was "perfect" and that anything presented on stage would only be
9858-415: Was able to live on the fish and crabs that he gathered from the sea, and fresh vegetables from his garden and local farms. When those sources failed, Steinbeck and his wife accepted welfare, and on rare occasions, stole bacon from the local produce market. Whatever food they had, they shared with their friends. Carol became the model for Mary Talbot in Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row . In 1930, Steinbeck met
9964-554: Was also a great proponent for keeping the town dry. To this day, Pacific Grove has very strict laws regarding the service of alcohol and has no stand-alone bars. At the November 6, 2018, general municipal election, Pacific Grove voters approved Measure M, which prohibits short-term vacation rentals in residential districts outside the Coastal Zone. Pacific Grove contains several habitat types, including marine, littoral, pine forest, and mixed-oak woodland. The famed breeding habitat for
10070-722: Was an acquaintance of modernist poet Robinson Jeffers , a Californian neighbor. In a letter to Elizabeth Otis, Steinbeck wrote: "Robinson Jeffers and his wife came in to call the other day. He looks a little older but that is all. And she is just the same." In 1962, Steinbeck began acting as friend and mentor to the young writer and naturalist Jack Rudloe , who was trying to establish his own biological supply company, now Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory in Florida. Their correspondence continued until Steinbeck's death. In February 1966, Steinbeck and his wife traveled to Israel . He visited in Tel Aviv
10176-649: Was an artist of aristocratic lineage who painted in Pacific Grove over a long time beginning in 1907; Judson's murals decorate the halls of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The Asilomar Conference Grounds are located at the western edge of Pacific Grove. Asilomar opened in 1913 as a YWCA summer retreat; it now belongs to the California State Park System . Thirteen buildings on these grounds were designed by architect Julia Morgan , who also designed Hearst Castle . Taken together,
10282-513: Was asked his favorite authors and works and replied: " Hemingway 's short stories and nearly everything Faulkner wrote." In September 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded Steinbeck the Presidential Medal of Freedom . In 1967, at the behest of Newsday magazine, Steinbeck went to Vietnam to report on the war. He thought of the Vietnam War as a heroic venture and was considered
10388-473: Was chosen as the best of a bad lot. "There aren't any obvious candidates for the Nobel prize and the prize committee is in an unenviable situation," wrote committee member Henry Olsson . Although the committee believed Steinbeck's best work was behind him by 1962, committee member Anders Österling believed the release of his novel The Winter of Our Discontent showed that "after some signs of slowing down in recent years, [Steinbeck has] regained his position as
10494-491: Was chosen as the best of a not so noteworthy group: "There aren't any obvious candidates for the Nobel prize and the prize committee is in an unenviable situation," wrote committee member Henry Olsson . Although the committee believed Steinbeck's best work was behind him by 1962, committee member Anders Österling believed the release of his novel The Winter of Our Discontent showed that "after some signs of slowing down in recent years, [Steinbeck has] regained his position as
10600-593: Was confronted by Gwyn, who asked for a divorce, which became final in October. Steinbeck spent the year after Ricketts's death in deep depression. In June 1949, Steinbeck met stage manager Elaine Scott at a restaurant in Carmel, California . Steinbeck and Scott eventually began a relationship, and in December 1950 they married, within a week of Scott's finalizing her own divorce from actor Zachary Scott . This third marriage for Steinbeck lasted until his death in 1968. Steinbeck
10706-403: Was controversial. Steinbeck's New Deal political views, negative portrayal of aspects of capitalism, and sympathy for the plight of workers, led to a backlash against the author for displaying communist views, especially in his hometown of Salinas. Steinbeck received so many threats that he purchased a handgun for his own safety. Claiming the book both was obscene and misrepresented conditions in
10812-549: Was echoed in other commercial buildings as well, including the transformation of the Hotel Del Mar. Around the same period, it underwent remodeling to adopt the Mediterranean Revival style, marked by stucco cladding and distinctive red tile embellishments. For a number of years, John Steinbeck lived in a cottage in Pacific Grove owned by his father, Ernest, who was Monterey County treasurer. The cottage still stands on
10918-593: Was one of the few in the world that one could not buy nor gain by political maneuver. It was precisely because the committee made its judgment ... on its own criteria, rather than plugging into 'the main currents of American writing' as defined by the critical establishment, that the award had value." In his acceptance speech later in the year in Stockholm, he said: the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man's proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In
11024-528: Was sold to W. R. Holman in 1919 to open the Holman Department Store. Thomas Albert Work built several of the buildings in Pacific Grove, including the three-story Del Mar hotel in 1895, at the corner of Sixteenth, and in 1904 he built a commercial block along Lighthouse Avenue to house local businesses, including the two-story Romanesque -style Bank of Pacific Grove. Pacific Grove, like Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey, became an artists' haven in
11130-624: Was the best-selling book of 1939 and 430,000 copies had been printed by February 1940. In that month, it won the National Book Award , favorite fiction book of 1939, voted by members of the American Booksellers Association . Later that year, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted as a film directed by John Ford , starring Henry Fonda as Tom Joad; Fonda was nominated for the best actor Academy Award. Grapes
11236-667: Was the final end to it. Steinbeck's incomplete novel based on the King Arthur legends of Malory and others, The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights , was published in 1976. 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature Social conditions of migrants and seasonal workers became a recurring theme in Steinbeck's writings and were particularly evident in Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The latter relates how unemployment and abuse of power forced farmers to migrate from Oklahoma to California . Sympathy with
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