Although America has indisputably had its share of brilliant playwrights, short story authors and poets such Edgar Allan Poe and Tennessee Williams, the nation has also produced some of the greatest novelist of the past two centuries and a slew of incredible stories that have had an insurmountable effect on modern literature.
Quite possibly the finest writer of the 20th century is John Steinbeck who produced well known titles including Of Mice and Men, East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath. His influence on politically charged literature is undeniable and his works can be consistently located on required reading or banned book lists.
John Steinbeck was born on February 27th in Salinas California which would latter become the setting for several of his most revered works. He briefly attended Stanford University and later released his first novel a Cup of Gold in 1929 but didn’t achieve much success until releasing a collection of short stories titled Pastures of Heaven in 1932.
Many of his novels throughout his prolific career were influenced by his work as a war correspondent and his time spent observing the struggles of unions and workers in California. As a result he produced the classic novels In Dubious Battle, The Moon is Down, Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck’s championing of workers efforts through adversity resonated with many labor unions and The Grapes of Wrath spread as propaganda for the cause making it extremely controversial and popular too this day.
Steinbeck’s later life yielded what many consider to be his masterpiece East of Eden which utilizes an intriguing time of Salinas California’s history to tell a families complex history. Steinbeck passed away in 1968 after winning a Nobel Prize for literature as well as a Pulitzer and a U.S Medal of Freedom.
Samuel L. Clemens often referred to by his pen name Mark Twain is known for his classic novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but the ever quotable humorist produced many other notable works such as The Prince and the Pauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.
Mark Twain was born in the town of Florida, Missouri on November 30, 1835. He grew up along the Mississippi River which inspired the setting for his protagonist’s in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Although he briefly worked for a newspaper company he didn’t find success in an enjoyable career until he was 21 and fulfilled his goal of working on board a steamship.
After the steamship industry was slowed due to the American Civil War he moved to California and launched his writing career by publishing short stories and eventually published his first novel The Innocents Abroad. His best known novels featuring Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer remain popular and are often required in schools to this day because of their historical significance and coverage of the topic of American slavery.
Mark Twain achieved much success in his lifetime but by old age he had lost the majority of his fortune and many members of his family including his several of his daughters had died. He quickly fell into depression and died on April 21st, 1910 at the age of 74.
Ernest Hemingway earned his place in American by using his journalism skills to produce powerful and tragic war novels like A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls as well as his Pulitzer winning short novel The Old Man and Sea.
Hemingway was born in Cicero, Illinois on July 21st 1899. His writing career was preceded by his experience as a medical volunteer in World War II which heavily inspired a Farewell to Arms. In addition to his medical experience in war he also worked as war journalist and covered a civil war in Spain that directly inspired his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Ernest Hemingway published his first successful novel in 1926 titled The Sun Also Rises which began his extremely successful career as a novelist. He published his Pulitzer winning piece The Old Man and the Sea in 1952 and collectively his works won the noble prize for literature in 1954.
In his older years Ernest Hemingway suffered from depression and paranoia despite the magnitude of career he tragically took his own life on July 2nd 1961 after previous failed attempts at suicide.
Works Referenced
“John Steinbeck – Biography”. Nobelprize.org. 23 Sep 2011 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html
“John Steinbeck Biography” Encyclopedia of World Biography
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Steinbeck-John.html
“The Grapes of Wrath” Answers.com
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-grapes-of-wrath
“Steinbeck wins the Medal of Freedom” History.com
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/steinbeck-wins-the-medal-of-freedom
“Biography” The official website of Mark Twain
http://cmgww.com/historic/twain/about/bio.htm
“Mark Twain Biography” Biography.com
http://www.biography.com/articles/Mark-Twain-9512564
“Ernest Hemingway Biography” Biography.com
http://www.biography.com/articles/Ernest-Hemingway-9334498
“Ernest Hemingway-Biography” Nobelprize.org
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html
“Ernest Hemingway Biography” Biography Base
http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Hemingway_Ernest.html