High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck, which tells the story of Georgie and Lennie, two displaced Anglo migrant ranch hands in California during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The story is set on a ranch a few miles from Soledad in the Salinas Valley. Since its initial publication in 1937, it has been frequently referenced in popular culture. Characters similar to George and Lennie - one being smaller and weaker, but smarter (George), the other being bigger and stronger, but dumber (Lennie) - have been popular since the publication of Of Mice and Men.