The dog that destroyed a literary classic

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November 30, 2025

Original photo by //itul Patel/ 500px via Getty Images John Steinbeck's dog ate the first draft of 'Of Mice and Men.' Every teacher has rolled their eyes at the "my dog ate my homework" excuse, but it really happened to one of America's most revered authors. In 1936, John Steinbeck's dog Toby, an Irish setter, turned the first draft of Of Mice and Men into a snack. In a letter dated May 27 of that year, the future Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner wrote that he "was pretty mad, but the poor little fellow may have been acting critically." Steinbeck estimated that Toby making "confetti" of the manuscript would set him back by about two months, but it may have been worth it: Steinbeck's short, tragic tale of two migrant workers eking out a humble existence in California during the Depression is among the author's most moving and accomplished works, which is saying something for the man responsible for both East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck, a lifelong dog-lover, later wrote a travelogue featuring his poodle called Travels With Charley.

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Steinbeck disavowed the movie he wrote for Alfred Hitchcock.

Steinbeck disavowed the movie he wrote for Alfred Hitchcock. FACT FIB

"Of Mice and Men" was Steinbeck's attempt at a new form called the __.

"Of Mice and Men" was Steinbeck's attempt at a new form called the __. REVEAL ANSWER

Numbers Don't Lie Number of pencils Steinbeck sharpened every day before writing 24 Words in "Of Mice and Men" 29,160 Year Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in literature 1962 Academy Award nominations received by Steinbeck, all for writing 3 Number of pencils Steinbeck sharpened every day before writing 24 Words in "Of Mice and Men" 29,160 Year Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in literature 1962 Academy Award nominations received by Steinbeck, all for writing 3

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No, "The Grapes of Wrath" was not called "The Angry Raisins" in Japan. Much is lost in translation, but the title of Steinbeck's most acclaimed novel wasn't one of those things. The oft-cited rumor that The Grapes of Wrath carried the title The Angry Raisins in Japan comes from a 1996 New York Times article written about Elaine Steinbeck, the author's widow, but no evidence supports it. The anecdote has spread far and wide nevertheless, thus proving — quite literally, in this case — a quote misattributed to Mark Twain: "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes."

Today's edition of Interesting Facts was written by Michael Nordine and edited by Bess Lovejoy.

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