John Ernest Steinbeck Jr. was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. (The Biography Channel) Her family was never wealthy, but they were middle class, and her father John Ernest Steinbeck worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table, and her mother Olive Hamilton was a schoolteacher. He was the third of four children and all of his siblings were girls. His father owned a food and grain store, ran a flour store, and served as treasurer of Monterrey County. (The Biography Channel) His father was a mason and his mother was a member of Eastern Star. (ANB) John Steinbeck sr. and Olive Hamilton were immigrants and were very rooted in the community; they established their identity this way. His parents thought it was good to expose their children to culture when they were young. They often went to the theater in San Francisco. Her parents also had a variety of literature at home for the children to read. Steinbeck's greatest influence in his career came when he received a copy of Malory's La Morte d'Arthur at the age of nine. (Stephan) His mother and John Steinbeck's family lived in the "fertile agricultural valley", and so he early appreciated the lands of the Salinas Valley, which he used in most of his later novels. (Wyatt) As a child, Steinbeck was shy and quiet, but very intelligent, Steinbeck was "encouraged by his first grade English teacher to write" (ANB) and from that point on he knew he wanted to become writer. He often locked himself in his room. and write. After high school, he worked as a sugar factory worker in Salinas, California, as a factory worker, and as a ranch hand (Stephan). In 1919, John Steinbeck decided to attend Stanford University purely for fun. his pare...... middle of paper ......eck - List of works."About.com Classic literature. Penguin 1986. web. December 9, 2013. "John Steinbeck." The Biography website Channel. A&E Television Network. December 9, 2013. "John Steinbeck - Facts." Nobel Media AB 2013. Reuben, Paul P. "John Steinbeck (1902-1968): a Brief Literary Biography.” PAL: Perspectives in American Literature – A Research and Reference Guide, November 11, 2013. Shillinglaw, Dr. Susan Beck. Oxford University Press, nd Web. December 9, 2013. Shillinglaw, Dr. Susan. "Why Read John Steinbeck." 'Eden: with an introduction by David Wyatt. New York: Penguin Classics, 1992. Print. Stephan, Ed. "Steinbeck Ed Stephane 1986. web. December 9 2013.