John Steinbeck was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and the novella Of Mice and Men (1937). Steinbeck authored a total of 27 books, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and five collections of short stories. In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature, acclaimed for his realistic and imaginative writings, which combined sympathetic humor with keen social perception. He has been heralded as "a giant of American letters."

During his writing career, Steinbeck authored 33 books, with one coauthored alongside Edward Ricketts. His works include the comic novels Tortilla Flat (1935) and Cannery Row (1945), the multi-generation epic East of Eden (1952), and the novellas The Red Pony (1933) and Of Mice and Men (1937). The Grapes of Wrath, awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1940, is considered Steinbeck's masterpiece and a cornerstone of American literature. By the 75th anniversary of its publication, it had sold 14 million copies.

Most of Steinbeck's work is set in central California, specifically in the Salinas Valley and the California Coast Ranges region. His literature frequently explores the themes of fate and injustice, particularly as it relates to downtrodden or "everyman" protagonists.