American author John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (February 27, 1902 - December 20, 1968) was born in the United States. For his "realistic and inventive writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and strong social observation," he was awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature. Many of his writings are regarded as Western literary masterpieces, and he has been dubbed "a giant of American letters." He is well known for his comedy books Cannery Row (1945) and East of Eden (1952), as well as his novels and novellas Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Pearl (1947). The Grapes of Wrath (1957), which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939, is regarded as Steinbeck's pinnacle work. His writings frequently examined the themes of fate and injustice, particularly as they related to oppressed or everyday heroes.