Editing John Steinbeck (section)

===Literary influences===
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]].<ref name="Biography" /><ref name="Bio" />
Salinas, Monterey and parts of the [[San Joaquin Valley]] were the setting for many of his stories. The area is now sometimes referred to as "Steinbeck Country".<ref name="Journey" /> Most of his early work dealt with subjects familiar to him from his formative years. An exception was his first novel, ''[[Cup of Gold: A Life of Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer, With Occasional Reference to History|Cup of Gold]]'', which concerns the pirate/privateer [[Henry Morgan]], whose adventures had captured Steinbeck's imagination as a child.

In his subsequent novels, Steinbeck found a more authentic voice by drawing upon direct memories of his life in California. His childhood friend, [[Max Wagner]], a brother of Jack Wagner and who later became a film actor, served as inspiration for ''The Red Pony''. Later he used actual American conditions and events in the first half of the 20th century, which he had experienced first-hand as a reporter. Steinbeck often populated his stories with struggling characters; his works examined the lives of the working class and [[migrant worker]]s during the [[Dust Bowl]] and the [[Great Depression]].

His later work reflected his wide range of interests, including [[marine biology]], politics, religion, history and [[mythology]]. One of his last published works was ''[[Travels with Charley]]'', a [[Travel literature|travelogue]] of a [[road trip]] he took in 1960 to rediscover America.