John Steinbeck was a 'sadistic' womanizer who 'wanted me to be his slave' and 'wished death upon our prematurely born son,' his second wife reveals in new memoir

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Celebrated author John Steinbeck spent his wedding night on the phone with an alleged mistress, wished his newborn son had died, and enjoyed setting his pet rat loose in the home just to see the frightened reaction from guests, according to a new book by his second wife.

Gwyn Conger Steinbeck was married to the Grapes of Wrath author for six years during the 1940s.

A manuscript she wrote which details her ‘sadistic’ husband’s volatile personality has recently been discovered in Wales, according to The Times of London.

The manuscript, which has been turned into a book, My Life With John Steinbeck, is due to be published this week.

Celebrated author John Steinbeck (pictured in 1966) spent his wedding night on the phone with an alleged mistress, wished his newborn son had died, and enjoyed setting his pet rat loose in the home just to see the frightened reaction from guests, according to his second wife

Gwyn Conger Steinbeck (pictured in New York City in 1957) was married to the Grapes of Wrath author for six years during the 1940s. A manuscript she wrote which details her ‘sadistic’ husband’s volatile personality has recently been discovered in Wales

Gwyn Steinbeck was a nightclub singer in Los Angeles when she met the then-married author in 1938.

During their time together, John Steinbeck authored some of his greatest masterpieces, including The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Red Pony.

Grapes of Wrath earned Steinbeck a Pulitzer Prize, cementing his status as one of America’s literary giants.

But the Nobel laureate apparently had a dark side that was hidden from public view.

Gwyn Steinbeck was a nightclub singer in Los Angeles when she met the then-married author in 1938. During their time together, John Steinbeck (seen above in 1939) authored some of his greatest masterpieces, including The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Red Pony

‘Like so many writers, he had several lives, and in each he was spoilt, and in each he felt he was king,’ Gwyn Steinbeck writes.

‘From the time John awoke to the time he went to bed, I had to be his slave.’

She recalled that in 1941, Steinbeck left her and his first wife, Carol Henning, in a room and said to them, smiling: ‘Whichever of you ladies needs me the most and wants me the most, then that’s the woman I’m going to have.’

When Gwyn Steinbeck married him two years later, he spent 90 minutes on the telephone with a ‘Lady M’ on their wedding night.

John Steinbeck said he and ‘Lady M’ had a ‘matinee about three times a week’ - hinting that she was his mistress.

Gwyn Steinbeck wrote that while her husband rarely showed emotion for her or his children, he deeply mourned the death of his pet rat, Burgess.

Gwyn Steinbeck wrote that while her husband rarely showed emotion for his family, he deeply mourned the death of his pet rat, Burgess. John and Thom Steinbeck, the couple's two children, are seen center with Nathaniel Benchley (far left) and Alexandra Moltke (far right)

‘He never cried for me,’ she wrote. ‘He never cried for his sons. He never cried for anybody.

‘But he cried for a rat called Burgess.’

Describing him as ‘sadistic,’ she wrote that her husband would use the rat to frighten others.

‘John was a sadistic man, of many emotions, but being sadistic was one of his unattractive qualities,’ Gwyn Steinbeck wrote.

‘He would let people in and set Burgess loose and gain a great sense of enjoyment, watching people scream and pull up their legs.’

John Steinbeck’s affection for his pet rat is in stark contrast to how he felt about his own children.

Gwyn Steinbeck gave birth to two of his sons.

John Steinbeck remarried in 1950, when he wed actress Elaine Scott. They were together until his death in 1968 at the age of 66

When she was in labor with her first son, Thomas, she began suffering from difficulties with the birth.

This led her husband to scold her for ‘complicating’ his life while he was writing a book.

In 1946, their second son, John Jr, was born prematurely.

As their newborn suffered from fits of screaming in his first days, his father ‘burst through the door and said, “I wish to Christ he’d die, he’s taking up too much of your f***ing time.”

‘That was the moment when love died,’ she wrote.

Gwyn Steinbeck eventually divorced her husband two years afterward.

The two did not separate on amicable terms.

John Steinbeck would draw on his marriage with Gwyn to gain inspiration for creating the character of Cathy Ames in the novel East of Eden.

Gwyn Steinbeck eventually divorced her husband two years afterward. John Steinbeck would draw on his marriage with Gwyn to gain inspiration for the character of Cathy Ames in the novel East of Eden. Ames is portrayed above by actor Jo Van Fleet in the 1955 film version

Ames is described by Steinbeck in his novel as ‘a psychic monster’ with a ‘malformed soul.’

John Steinbeck remarried in 1950, when he wed actress Elaine Scott. They were together until his death in 1968 at the age of 66.

My Life With John Steinbeck goes on sale this week

Gwyn Steinbeck recalled details of her marriage to John Steinbeck during interviews with Douglas Brown, a British journalist, in 1972.

Gwyn died in 1975.

In 1997, Brown traveled to his native England. During his trip, he died.

The manuscript containing Gwyn’s recollections passed on to his daughter, Candace, who gave it to her father’s brother, John.

John Brown, a native of Montgomery, Wales, then showed the manuscript to a neighbor, Bruce Lawson.

Lawson, an author, decided to publish Gwyn Steinbeck’s manuscript.

It is titled My Life With John Steinbeck.

John Steinbeck Jr died in 1991.

His brother, Thomas Steinbeck, died in 2016.