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 Why is John Steinbeck such a well known author today?

There are many opinions as to why [|John Steinbeck] is such a well known author today. It may have been his unique writing style and his ability to incorporate his life experiences into his works. The topics he choose to write about are remarkable because they relate to society and everyday life. The relatable topics create an inclination among people, which motivates them to read his books. His simple writing style helps him build upon the deeper side of the characters, as opposed to what the dialogue and mannerisms would suggest. He writes in a biological way, providing opportunity for anyone's voice to be heard through his writing.

Catherine Reef, author of over 20 books of nonfiction for young readers, believes that John Steinbeck "appeals to young readers because he shows that it is possible to enter adulthood yet never lose the idealism, courage, and natural humor of youth" (Reef, pg. 163).

He covers a wide range of subjects in all of his literary works including prejudice, racism, sexism, friendship, loyalty, violence, weakness, visions of America and much more. John Steinbeck’s writing style also varies. In, [|Of Mice and Men] , his use of [|Third Person (limited omniscient)] narrator style is mixed with empathy for his characters. He does not impose his characters onto the reader but rather presents them within these themes and allows the reader to decide who these characters are, what they are feeling and what they represent.

He has been described as being a social-protest writer, a realist, a naturalist, a journalist and a playwright. He is known for having many strong political viewpoints and these are expressed throughout all of his pieces of writing. His works transcended American literature and extended [|globally]  partially because of these views. In China, for example, his fame as an established left wing American writer saved his works from being totally dismissed by the Chinese government. Very few American writer's literary works were translated into Chinese. John Steinbeck was one of only a few exceptions.

His literary masterpieces have been recognized and received some of the most prestigious awards including, [|Nobel Prize for Literature]  and a [|Pulitzer-Prize] . Many of his works went on to become Hollywood films. Additionally, he received an [|Academy Award]  nomination.

All of these attributes combined with his uniqueness in personality and writing style contributed to his recognition as one of the most well known and read authors today.


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<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">[] http://mras10thgradehonors.wikispaces.com/Valerie%27s+Page [] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Reef, Catherine. John Steinbeck. Houghton Mifflin, Clarion. 1996. Print <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Steinbeck, John. //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Of Mice and Men //. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">

Melissa