[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF JOHN STEINBECK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2008

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor one of our most famous 
writers and native sons, John Steinbeck. On what would have been his 
106th birthday, my community celebrates Steinbeck's world-renowned body 
of work and respected place in American literary history.
  Born in Salinas in 1902 and raised in and around Monterey Bay, John 
Steinbeck established himself as one of America's most widely read 
writers through works including The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, 
and East of Eden. As an author and journalist, Steinbeck became known 
for exploring the plight of Americans during the Great Depression and 
the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, garnering international recognition and 
admiration for his socially astute and engaging writing over several 
decades.
  Graduating from Salinas High School before attending Stanford 
University, John Steinbeck began writing from an early age. From his 
first major success with Tortilla Flat in 1935, Steinbeck's writing 
over the coming years was deeply entwined with the Monterey Bay region. 
Set against the backdrops of Soledad, Monterey, and the Salinas Valley, 
the experiences and struggles of Steinbeck's characters reflected the 
social and economic challenges of the times. Much of his earliest 
writing offered a vibrant and realistic insight into the lives of 
agricultural and migrant workers during some of the most formative 
periods of the 20th century. During World War Two, Steinbeck worked in 
Europe as a foreign correspondent for the Herald Tribune of New York.
  Steinbeck's profound talent for socially perceptive and captivating 
writing was continually acknowledged throughout his lifetime. He was 
honored with numerous awards and prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize 
for The Grapes of Wrath and the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature. In 
1963 he was also named an Honorary Consultant in American Literature to 
the Library of Congress.
  Madam Speaker, in view of this impressive record of recognition for 
John Steinbeck as an American literary great, today I too would like to 
honor him for his lasting contribution to literature and culture in 
this country.

                          ____________________