Thomas Steinbeck (1944-2016)
Thomas Steinbeck
Thomas Steinbeck was born in New York City on August 2, 1944 to singer/composer Gwyndolyn Steinbeck and John Steinbeck, Nobel Laureate and author. As a child, Thomas spent a great deal of time with his father and learned a deep respect for the artistry of language. Like his father, Thomas Steinbeck is a natural storyteller and crafts his words with an impressive mastery.
His first book, Down to a Soundless Sea (2002), was a collection of short stories that includes a reference piece to the legend of the Dark Watchers. The two books that followed, In the Shadow of the Cypress (2010) and The Silver Lotus (2012) focused on the history of the Chinese in California. Garnering excellent reviews, both novels are intriguing accounts of mysterious events and the influence of unique cultures upon the history of the coastal regions of the world. Throughout his writing, Steinbeck’s deep knowledge and appreciation of history allows him to develop his characters and stories in such a way that readers may immerse themselves in the intimacy of other times and places.
In 2012, Steinbeck and his good friend, artist Benjamin Brode, began a creative collaboration uniting the lore of Big Sur with the majesty of its landscape. The result became the book In Search of the Dark Watchers (2014). While the tale is rooted in an ancient legend, the story is contemporary and centers around the charming friendship of two creative men.
Thom at his house in Santa Barbara, California (2014)
“My secret of writing is to never create at the keyboard. For me, it’s about knowing the story or the elements that I’m going to be dealing with in such detail that I’m basically testifying in front of my audience.”