12 Reasons John Steinbeck Is The Most Interesting Man In The World

Today is John Steinbeck's 112th birthday. He's perhaps the world's most famous Nobel Laureate, author of "The Grapes of Wrath," "East of Eden," and "Of Mice and Men," all of which are currently being remade for Broadway or Hollywood adaptations (James Franco, Jennifer Lawrence and Steven Spielberg are all attached to current Steinbeck projects). He once wrote, “I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment.” Here are 12 other reasons why Steinbeck is the Most Interesting Man in the World

He hated the limelight.

Steinbeck was world famous, but he hated to be recognized. He once wrote, “I was recognized in San Francisco the other day and it made me sick to my stomach”

Movie Stars were fascinated with his work

Charlie Chaplin was among the many Hollywood stars fascinated by Steinbeck’s books. Chaplin “would drive up from his house in Pebble Beach to visit with John and Carol and discuss politics, filmmaking and social issues”

For his 57th Birthday, Steinbeck got a 17th Century Crossbow

He helped build Madison Square Garden

In 1925, Steinbeck was on the construction crew for Madison Square Garden. He quit after a worker fell from a scaffold to his death, landing near him.

Steinbeck Loved to Party!

Rumor has it when Steinbeck was living in his hometown of Salinas, CA, he was often found drunk on his neighbors front steps. His mother would from time to time get a phone call to let her know that “John was on the front steps and not feeling so well”

Even as a world famous author, he got hated on

When Steinbeck tried to rent a writing space, he was told by the owner of an office building in Monterey, CA “we don’t want people like that. We want professional people like doctors and dentists and insurance (salesmen).”

He never took himself too seriously

Steinbeck won both the Nobel and Pulitzer prize, one of only 7 people to do this. Still, he believed "Writers are a little below clowns and a little above trained seals. God help the world if writers ever took control. We'd be much worse than the people now in power."

He gave his Pulitzer Prize money to help a friend pursue his own writing dream

Steinbeck gave away his Pulitzer Prize money to his friend Ritchie Lovejoy, so he could leave his job and work on his writing full time. Way to stay classy, Steinbeck!

He built his own cannon!

To scare the geese away from his writing studio, Steinbeck made a real cannon.

His Favorite cocktail was the Jack Rose

Applejack (brandy), grenadine and lime juice made Steinbeck feel like the king of the world!

He was watched by the feds

Steinbeck was under investigation from the Army counter intelligence in the 1940s. At J. Edgar Hoover's direction, the FBI kept detailed files on American writers they considered subversive and dangerous. Steinbeck was monitored from 1939 to March 1968, nine months before he died.

He was cool with the POTUS

Steinbeck was personally invited to JFK's inauguration. Later, he was a speech writer for Lyndon B. Johnson.