John Steinbeck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck

Take a look there. You'll find a long biography listing many of the events in his life.

Which are of importance depends upon each reader's priorities. Some may say that the birth of his sons were the important events in his life while others may say that the many awards and prizes for his books were the important events.

Pick the four you think are important events and write about them. Write about how those events influenced his life.