Young Chang You’d think the photo was...

Young Chang

You’d think the photo was from a J. Crew catalog circa 1919. The

beige turtleneck, the tousled hair, even the dogs under each arm.

And though both of John Steinbeck’s eyes are bandaged in this

image -- apparently the remainders of an accident involving iron

fillings during a stint at a sugar plant -- other photos of the Nobel

Prize-winning writer as a teen confirm that he was cute in an

outdoors model kind of way.

A long line of images now on display at the Newport Beach Central

Library bring patrons into the writer’s world, allowing them glimpses

of the world that bred works like “The Grapes of Wrath” and “The Red

Pony.”

In fact, they show Jill, the red pony Steinbeck rode as a child in

Central California’s Salinas Valley.

We meet the real Lee Chong, the inspiration for the Chinese grocer

in “Cannery Row,” and see his cluttered little store. We even see the

back of marine biologist Edward Flanders Ricketts, who was written

into the same novel as Doc.

“Giving a face to the characters and places, I think, makes them a

lot more meaningful,” said Melissa Adams, public relations writer for

the library.

Called “Steinbeck: His Life & Times,” the photo exhibit is on loan

from the Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University.

Newport Beach’s City Arts Commission is co-sponsoring the show, which

ends Oct. 31, as part of the library’s celebration of the nationally

observed Steinbeck Centennial.

Other events at the library that pay tribute to the writer, who

was born 100 years ago Feb. 27, include a discussion of “The Grapes

of Wrath” on Oct. 2, a screening of the John Ford film later that

day, and a hunt of sorts called “Search for Steinbeck” Oct. 9 that

will simultaneously teach kids about Steinbeck and how to effectively

get around in the library.

Steinbeck, also known for classics “Of Mice and Men,” “Tortilla

Flats” and “East of Eden,” wrote about hard-working, struggling

people of different cultures, as well as people on the fringe of

society. He was known and remembered as a populist and humanist.

The more than 20 black-and-white photos in the library’s foyer

give visitors the ability to peer into his life.

One image shows Steinbeck, his father, his mother and a sister

named Mary in the living room. Everyone is reading.

Another shows him all dressed up as a young child -- looking like

a little old man in a suit and tie -- sitting in a horse-drawn

carriage with his equally decked-out sister.

A few frames down, we see a cute little house called Pacific Grove

Cottage. It blooms with flowers out front and was built by

Steinbeck’s father for use as the family’s summer home.

Arts Commissioner Kathy Harrison noted that it’s interesting to

see the writer’s comfortable upbringing, what with the ponies, the

literary family, the Stanford education, etc.

“That all contrasts his ability to portray the common man,” she

said. “He was known as the bard of the people.”

The photos show Steinbeck’s wives too. All three of them.

Then there’s the one where he’s winning the Nobel Prize in Sweden.

And there are others where he is older and just looking off into

space.

“It really is kind of fun to see where he lived and his

experiences,” Harrison said. “It gives you insight. You learn the

inspiration for his writing.”

One frame shows a manuscript page from “The Grapes of Wrath,”

which is from the collection of the University of Virginia Library.

It is said that Steinbeck wrote the book in 100 days. An excerpt from

a journal he kept during the process says, “Must take time in the

description, detail, looks, clothes, gestures. Ma very important.

Uncle John very important. Pa very. In fact all of them are

important.”

Adams said that the California writer established a strong sense

of place in his books.

“Many of his works have such vivid portrayals of Monterey [Coast]

and Cannery Row,” she said. “And you can still go see his house in

Salinas.”

Jana Barbier, cultural arts and grants coordinator for Newport

Beach, said celebrating Steinbeck is more than just looking back on a

famous writer.

“We’re dealing with a lot of the same issues today that were in

‘The Grapes of Wrath,’” she said. “In terms of immigration,

homelessness, migration and certainly moral responsibility.”

Adams said that although Orange County isn’t exactly a “haven for

the disenfranchised,” that the state of things in general today point

to the universalness of the issues Steinbeck tackled.

“They’re so relevant, they’re still here, we’re still grappling

with them,” she said.