During the 1940s, Steinbeck did a great deal of traveling and writing. His interests turned to the rise of fascism, and he wrote a promotional book for the Army Air Force called Bombs Away. Steinbeck also wrote a World War II novella, The Moon Is Down, in which he described a small Norwegian village invaded and occupied by a thinly disguised Nazi force. The King of Norway decorated Steinbeck in recognition of his book's contribution to the liberation effort. Steinbeck also scripted a war movie called Lifeboat in an attempt to raise American morale. During this period, he married again to Gwen Conger with whom he had two sons. In 1943, while a correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune, Steinbeck wrote a collection of human interest articles later published in 1958 under the title Once There Was a War.
After the war ended, Steinbeck devoted himself to a number of writing projects that left the war behind. In 1945, he wrote Cannery Row, another well-received California book that followed the humorous adventures of the down and out, living in Monterey. Cannery Row was the first of two books in this period to be influenced by his friendship with the marine biologist, Ed Ricketts.
In 1947, Steinbeck wrote The Pearl, an allegory about a poor fisherman who finds a pearl that changes his life; Steinbeck's experiences from the trip to the Gulf of California back in 1940 provided the kernel of the story's plot. The Pearl was also filmed, as was another book published the same year and titled The Wayward Bus. Even though The Wayward Bus received poor reviews, it sold well and was a humorous story about a bus full of interesting Steinbeck characters. In 1948, Steinbeck received a blow with the death of Ed Ricketts in a car accident. His marriage to Gwen ended as well, and the divorce settlement brought grave financial difficulties. He returned once again to Pacific Grove to heal and to write.
