'The most important thing in the world'

 

“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” – John Steinbeck

 

Born in Salinas, Calif., on this date in 1902, Steinbeck has been called “the embodiment of the American novelist” based on his many masterpieces like The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden.   The author of 27 books – 16 novels, 5 collections of creative short stories, and 6 books of non-fiction including the autobiographical Travels With Charley – Steinbeck's works are found around the globe, published in virtually every language with more 200 million copies in print.

 

In addition, a remarkable 17 were adapted to film, many giving generations an up-close insiders’ look at the people, places and ravages of The Great Depression.  Those stories, though, took their toll on him.  “In utter loneliness,” he wrote, “a writer tries to explain the inexplicable.”

 

Despite his many awards and accolades, including the Nobel Prize in Literature, he often questioned his own writing.   

 

“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world,”  Steinbeck said.  “And he must hold to this illusion even when he knows it is not true.”