Nobel and Pulitzer-Prize winning author John Steinbeck would have turned 100 in February, 2002. With events from coast to coast, the John Steinbeck Centennial will fan out across the nation with a year-long series of over 175 exhibitions, performances and lectures in 39 states commemorating the life, times and artistic vision of Salinas, California's native son.
John Steinbeck's legacy in literature, film, theater, journalism and other disciplines will be explored through an array of special events and programs including: the Steinbeck Centennial Monthly Series at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas and the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University; World Premiere Centennial piece performed by the Monterey County Symphony; Dorothea Lange Photography Exhibition; Ed Ricketts exhibition at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row; literary bus and walking tours; library programs; a Gala Tribute at Lincoln Center in New York; and a Centennial Conference at Hofstra University.
"Thanks to the support of the National Endowment of the Humanities, this is the largest single author celebration of its kind in the history of United States," says Harold Augenbraum, Director of the Mercantile Library of New York, co-director of the Steinbeck Centennial.
"Dorothea Lange: Human Documents" photography exhibition runs November 18, 2001 to April 7, 2002 at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Dorothea Lange and John Steinbeck each captured the human condition, one with images, one with words. Like Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Lange's images of the Great Depression such as the famous "Migrant Mother" were catalysts for social change. This exhibition of original photographs on loan from the Oakland Museum of California will be shown in its only West Coast appearance.
Centennial festivities and events will mark Steinbeck's birthday month of February throughout Monterey County, California including: special events at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Art Museum, and Monterey Public Library; the world premiere by the Monterey County Symphony of a Centennial work by Allen Shawn, with text by author Jamaica Kincaid; bus and walking tours; and much more. Steinbeck's 100th birthday on February 27, 2002 will include a program John's son Thom Steinbeck at the National Steinbeck Center; a birthday dinner at the Steinbeck House, the author's boyhood home; and a birthday party in Monterey.
The 22nd Steinbeck Festival, "Steinbeck's Legacy," takes place August 1-4, 2002 at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas and will examine the author's contemporary significance. The Festival hosts speakers, panels, feature-length films, tours to Steinbeck-related sites, and entertainment to celebrate the enduring influence of Steinbeck and his writings For more information call the National Steinbeck Center at 831-796-3833 or visit steinbeck.org. The Centennial Web site features a complete calendar of events nationwide.