e again won the Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novelby a Californian for In Dubious Battle.1936: Of Mice and Men, set around Soledad, was produced as a novel and then as a play. The Red Pony by Steinbeck also won recognition. Steinbeck mentioned labor violence inSalinas in a letter, "There are riots in Salinas and killings in the streets of that dear littletown where I was born." 1937: The Long Valley, a collection of short stories set in the Salinas Valley, waspublished. 1938: John wrote The Grapes of Wrath. It inspired nationwide attention on the livingconditions and exploitation of farm workers. John had said, “A kind of hysteria about thebook is growing that is not healthy." 1938: He won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Of Mice & Men.1939: He became a member of National Institute of Arts and Letters. He received theAmerican Booksellers' Award. 1940: Film version of The Grapes of Wrath was made. Steinbeck also received thePulitzer Prize for the novel. 1943: He married Gwyndolyn Conger, who he later divorced in 1948. He became thewar correspondent in Europe for the Herald Tribune of New York. The first edition ofThe Portable Steinbeck was published. He also visited Africa.1944: His movie, "Lifeboat," was released. Steinbeck bought a house in Monterey butwas unwelcome. No one would rent him an office for writing. He was harassed whentrying to get fuel and wood from a local wartime rations board. 1944: John and Gwyndolyn had their first child, Thomas Steinbeck, on August 2,1944.1945: Cannery Row, which is set in Monterey was published.1946: They had their second child, John Steinbeck IV, on June 12, 1946. He died onFebruary 7,1991. 1948: He moved from New York to Pacific Grove. There, he examined The Californian'sfiles of old newspapers to research East of Eden, which is set in the Salinas Valley.Steinbeck said that he was trying to buy the ranch where he had set The Red P...
