John Steinbeck - The Realist and Naturalist John Steinbeck was born in salinas califorina in 1902. He went to stanford university, but only lasted three years. In his youth he worked as a ranch hand and a fruit picker.John Steinbeck wrote many books his most famous works include Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes Of Wath. Some people catagorize Steinbeck as being a writer of nateralism and realism. John Steinbeck was a model example of the realist and nateralist of his generation. He often wrote about the things that were going on in th late 20's and 30's, like most noteably the depression and his characters often dealt with the real l