During the Great Depression, Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Best Novel. The novel is set during the Great Depression and follows the travels of a family of Oklahoma tenant farmers who are displaced by drought and economic hardship and forced to travel west to California in search of work.
Steinbeck wrote more than thirty books, including short stories, novels, and non-fiction. Some of his other well-known works include Of Mice and Men (1937), The Red Pony (1937), Cannery Row (1945), East of Eden (1952), and The Winter of Our Discontent (1961).
Steinbeck's writing is often characterized by its realism, social consciousness, and humor. His work has been praised for its insight into the human condition, its portrayal of the working class, and its exploration of social and economic issues.
Steinbeck was a political activist and a vocal supporter of the New Deal. He was also a member of the American Communist Party for a brief time in the 1930s.
Steinbeck died of a heart attack in New York City on December 20, 1968, at the age of 66.