Of Mice and Men and the Life of Steinbeck"If an author does not have at least one great popular success, he or she may well be ignored by the media, but if he or she is consistently popular , so critics become suspicious of the writer's serious intentions" (Introduction by Benson). What do literary critics say about Steinbeck's writings? Critics have a lot to say, both positive and negative. What connection exists between Steinbeck and his writings? Perhaps the most noteworthy biographical connection between Steinbeck and his writings is that he was born and grew up in the Salinas Valley. In this area of ​​California, bounded to the north and south by the Pajaro and Jolon Valleys to the west and east by the Pacific Ocean and the Gabilan Mountains, Steinbeck found the materials for his fiction (Tedlock 3). John Steinbeck's agricultural upbringing in the California area shines through vividly in the settings and plots of most of his works. John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. His father's family, originally called Grosssteinbeck, had come from Wuppertal, about twenty miles east of the German city of Düsseldorf. During the summers he worked as a laborer on nearby ranches, "nurturing" his impression of the California countryside and its people (Lisca 32). He made occasional exciting trips to San Francisco with his family and more frequent trips to the Monterey Peninsula (Fontenrose 2). In 1918 he fell ill with pneumonia and almost died, but managed to recover. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck enrolled at Stanford University, taking courses in English and marine science (Bloom 11). He was always an excellent student…middle of the road…the knowledge he acquired and the images he conceived of California in his writings. Works Cited Benson, Jackson J. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1990.Bloom, Harold. John Steinbeck. Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.Davis, Robert Murray. Steinbeck: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1972. Fontenrose, Joseph. John Steinbeck: An Introduction and Interpretation. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1964. French, Warren. John Steinbeck's Fiction Revisited. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994.Lisca, Peter. The Wide World of John Steinbeck. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1958. Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men. New York: Penguin Books USA Incorporated, 1978. Tedlock, E. W. Steinbeck and His Critics. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1957.