John Steinbeck called him a "Giant of American Letters". Despite ongoing attacks on his literary reputation, Steinbeck's works continue to sell well and he is widely taught in American and British schools as a bridge to more complex literature. Works such as "Of Mice and Men" are short and easy to read, and compassionately illustrate universal themes that are still relevant in the 21st century. Steinbeck grew up in California's Salinas Valley, a culturally diverse place with a rich migratory and immigrant history. This upbringing imparted a regionalistic flavor to his writing, giving many of his works a distinct sense of place.
John Steinbeck John Steinbeck IV (1946–1991). Ricketts 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' biographer Eric Enno Tamm notes that, except for "East of Eden" (1952), Steinbeck's writing declined after Ricketts' untimely death in 1948. Steinbeck's novel "The Moon Is Down" (1942), about the Socrates-inspired