Key Facts
John Steinbeck wrote and published The Pearl in 1947 as his 11th novel.
The novel was adapted from a folk tale that the author had heard while on a trip to Mexico in 1940.
The author did not intend to create a novel and was actually meaning to write a film script instead.
With the direction of Emilio Fernández, The Pearl had its first film adaptation titled La perla in the same year of the novel’s publication. The film won The Golden Globe Award for Best Cinematography in 1949.
