Download or read book My Life With John Steinbeck written by and published by LawsonPublishing Ltd. This book was released on 2018-09-06 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time,the story ofJohn Steinbecksforgotten second wife,unmentioned in standard editions of his classics,such as The Grapes of Wrath..Their 1943 wartime marriage ended when she divorced him in 1948..Smart, adventurous and in love,she at first matched Steinbecks zest for on the road advntures but was then only too happy to settle down and make a home where he could write.Love and marriage were considered the appropriate vocation for women of her era.Gwyn paid a high price for her involvement of the restless,driven,genius,John Steinbeck.This was a marriage, which could not succeed despite her love for Steinbeck,the man and master storyteller.
Download or read book Mad at the World A Life of John Steinbeck written by William Souder and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2020 in Nonfiction A resonant biography of America’s most celebrated novelist of the Great Depression. The first full-length biography of the Nobel laureate to appear in a quarter century, Mad at the World illuminates what has made the work of John Steinbeck an enduring part of the literary canon: his capacity for empathy. Pulitzer Prize finalist William Souder explores Steinbeck’s long apprenticeship as a writer struggling through the depths of the Great Depression, and his rise to greatness with masterpieces such as The Red Pony, Of Mice and Men, and The Grapes of Wrath. Angered by the plight of the Dust Bowl migrants who were starving even as they toiled to harvest California’s limitless bounty, fascinated by the guileless decency of the downtrodden denizens of Cannery Row, and appalled by the country’s refusal to recognize the humanity common to all of its citizens, Steinbeck took a stand against social injustice—paradoxically given his inherent misanthropy—setting him apart from the writers of the so-called "lost generation." A man by turns quick-tempered, compassionate, and ultimately brilliant, Steinbeck could be a difficult person to like. Obsessed with privacy, he was mistrustful of people. Next to writing, his favorite things were drinking and womanizing and getting married, which he did three times. And while he claimed indifference about success, his mid-career books and movie deals made him a lot of money—which passed through his hands as quickly as it came in. And yet Steinbeck also took aim at the corrosiveness of power, the perils of income inequality, and the urgency of ecological collapse, all of which drive public debate to this day. Steinbeck remains our great social realist novelist, the writer who gave the dispossessed and the disenfranchised a voice in American life and letters. Eloquent, nuanced, and deeply researched, Mad at the World captures the full measure of the man and his work.
Download or read book Working Days written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1990-12-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath during an astonishing burst of activity between June and October of 1938. Throughout the time he was creating his greatest work, Steinbeck faithfully kept a journal revealing his arduous journey toward its completion. The journal, like the novel it chronicles, tells a tale of dramatic proportions—of dogged determination and inspiration, yet also of paranoia, self-doubt, and obstacles. It records in intimate detail the conception and genesis of The Grapes of Wrath and its huge though controversial success. It is a unique and penetrating portrait of an emblematic American writer creating an essential American masterpiece.
Download or read book The Other Side of Eden written by John Steinbeck, IV and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2010-05 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The late son of author John Steinbeck, John Steinbeck IV, labored under the burden of being the son of a 20th century legend, yet persevered to become a respected journalist in his own right. Left unfinished by his death, this memoir of John Steinbeck IV is reconstructed by his wife of 12 years, who interweaves her own memories of life with him.
Download or read book Travels with Charley in Search of America written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1997-04-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers A Penguin Classic In September 1960, John Steinbeck embarked on a journey across America. He felt that he might have lost touch with the country, with its speech, the smell of its grass and trees, its color and quality of light, the pulse of its people. To reassure himself, he set out on a voyage of rediscovery of the American identity, accompanied by a distinguished French poodle named Charley; and riding in a three-quarter-ton pickup truck named Rocinante. His course took him through almost forty states: northward from Long Island to Maine; through the Midwest to Chicago; onward by way of Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana (with which he fell in love), and Idaho to Seattle, south to San Francisco and his birthplace, Salinas; eastward through the Mojave, New Mexico, Arizona, to the vast hospitality of Texas, to New Orleans and a shocking drama of desegregation; finally, on the last leg, through Alabama, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to New York. Travels with Charley in Search of America is an intimate look at one of America's most beloved writers in the later years of his life—a self-portrait of a man who never wrote an explicit autobiography. Written during a time of upheaval and racial tension in the South—which Steinbeck witnessed firsthand—Travels with Charley is a stunning evocation of America on the eve of a tumultuous decade. This Penguin Classics edition includes an introduction by Jay Parini. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Download or read book John Steinbeck written by Jay Parini and published by Random House (UK). This book was released on 1994 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Steinbeck was born in a small town in northern California in 1902, and his career mirrors the highs and lows of the 20th century. A difficult relationship with his parents, his turbulent married life and his often tempestuous friendships with celebrated writers, entertainers, intellectuals and politicians, all played their part in the creation of some of the century's greatest works of fiction.
Download or read book East of Eden written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-02-05 with total page 612 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America’s most enduring authors, in a commemorative hardcover edition In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden "the first book," and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farmland of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. The masterpiece of Steinbeck’s later years, East of Eden is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. Adapted for the 1955 film directed by Elia Kazan introducing James Dean, and read by thousands as the book that brought Oprah’s Book Club back, East of Eden has remained vitally present in American culture for over half a century.
Download or read book Steinbeck Citizen Spy written by Brian Kannard and published by Grave Distractions Pub.. This book was released on 2013-09-12 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This changes everything we thought we knew about John Steinbeck. After languishing in the CIA’s archives for 60 years, a letter is uncovered in John Steinbeck’s own hand that shatters everything history tells us about the author’s life. Written in 1952, to CIA Director Walter Bedell Smith, Steinbeck makes an offer to become an asset for the Agency during a trip to Europe later that year. More shocking than Steinbeck’s letter is Smith’s reply accepting John’s proposal. Discovered by author Brian Kannard, these letters create the tantalizing proposal that John Steinbeck was, in fact, a CIA spy. Utilizing information from Steinbeck’s FBI file, John’s own correspondence, and interviews with John’s son Thomas Steinbeck, playwright Edward Albee, a former CIA intelligence officer, and others, Steinbeck: Citizen Spy uncovers the secret life of American cultural icon and Nobel Prize–winner, John Steinbeck. •Did Steinbeck actively gather information for the intelligence community during his 1947 and 1963 trips to the Soviet Union? •Why was the controversial author of The Grapes of Wrath never called before the House Select Committee on Un-American Activities, despite alleged ties to Communist organizations? •Did the CIA influence Steinbeck to produce Cold War propaganda as part of Operation MOCKINGBIRD? •Why did the CIA admit to the Church Committee in 1975 that Steinbeck was a subject of their illegal mail-opening program known as HTLINGUAL? These and a host of other resources leave little doubt that there are depths yet unplumbed in the life of one of America’s most treasured authors. Just how heavily was Steinbeck involved in CIA operations? What did he know? And how much did he sacrifice for his country? Steinbeck: Citizen Spy brings us one step closer to the truth.
Download or read book The Grapes of Wrath written by John Steinbeck and published by . This book was released on 2023-06-16 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck that tells the story of the Joad family's journey from Oklahoma to California during the Great Depression. The novel highlights the struggles and hardships faced by migrant workers during this time, as well as the exploitation they faced at the hands of wealthy landowners. Steinbeck's writing style is raw and powerful, with vivid descriptions that bring the characters and their surroundings to life. The novel has been widely acclaimed for its social commentary and remains a classic in American literature. Despite being published over 80 years ago, the novel still resonates with readers today, serving as a reminder of the importance of empathy and compassion towards those who are less fortunate.
Download or read book Steinbeck written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1989-04-01 with total page 932 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Surely his most interesting, plausibly his most memorable, and . . . arguably his best book" —The New York Times Book Review For John Steinbeck, who hated the telephone, letter-writing was a preparation for work and a natural way for him to communicate his thoughts on people he liked and hated; on marriage, women, and children; on the condition of the world; and on his progress in learning his craft. Opening with letters written during Steinbeck's early years in California, and closing with a 1968 note written in Sag Herbor, New York, Steinbeck: A Life in Letters reveals the inner thoughts and rough character of this American author as nothing else has and as nothing else ever will. "The reader will discover as much about the making of a writer and the creative process, as he will about Steinbeck. And that's a lot." —Los Angeles Herald-Examiner "A rewarding book of enduring interest, this becomes a major part of the Steinbeck canon." —The Wall Street Journal
Download or read book To a God Unknown written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1995-08-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Penguin Classic Ancient pagan beliefs, the great Greek epics, and the Bible all inform this extraordinary novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, which occupied him for more than five difficult years. While fulfilling his dead father’s dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father’s spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph’s prosperity, and the farm flourishes—until one brother, frightened by Joseph’s pagan belief, kills the tree, allowing disease and famine to descend on the farm. Set in familiar Steinbeck country, To a God Unknown is a mystical tale, exploring one man’s attempt to control the forces of nature and, ultimately, to understand the ways of God and the forces of the unconscious within. This edition features an introduction and notes by Steinbeck scholar Robert DeMott. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Download or read book The Short Novels of John Steinbeck written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-07-08 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Steinbeck's brilliant short novels Collected here for the first time in a deluxe paperback volume are six of John Steinbeck's most widely read and beloved novels. From the tale of commitment, loneliness and hope in Of Mice and Men, to the tough yet charming portrait of people on the margins of society in Cannery Row, to The Pearl's examination of the fallacy of the American dream, Steinbeck stories of realism, that were imbued with energy and resilience. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Download or read book Steinbeck written by Steve Hauk and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-06-14 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It's 1942. The novelist John Steinbeck needs character witnesses to sign his application to carry a gun in New York. He's received a threatening phone call and feels the need for self-protection. He's a relative newcomer to the Empire State - most of his close friends live back in California, so finding people to sign could be difficult for the controversial author. Feeling time is of the essence, he begins his search for character witnesses in the idyllic village of Palisades, where he makes his home. The Application is one of sixteen tales in Steinbeck: The Untold Stories examining the emotional and psychological toll extracted for writing the truth as Steinbeck saw it, in works such as Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. From his days in Salinas and Los Gatos and Pacific Grove on California's Monterey Peninsula to his later years in New York, we meet the people who were important in his life as well as the dark specters of those who opposed him and what he was writing. The stories look at his friends and contemporaries and those who outlived him. Henry, for instance, a boyhood pal who decades later sees John again in a visit to Henry's Salinas service station under cover of darkness. Or Lily, an old high school classmate who invites him to an impromptu reunion that turns dangerous for John and the other participants gathered in a park. Artists, too, were important in his world. The young couple he gave money to so they could explore Mexico and "learn to paint out loud." The painter, a giant of a man, who on a summer night carried Steinbeck out of his home after an argument on labor issues. The famous film actress who accompanies him on a nervous drive, from Los Angeles up the Salinas Valley in the light of day. There were those who had little or no contact with him but were influenced and moved by his work. Beau, a charismatic chainsmoking cowboy who proudly felt he inspired the creation of a Steinbeck character. The terminally ill book collector Paul, who finds temporary escape from his worries and responsibilities by searching for Steinbeck first editions. The wanderer Bill who arrives in Monterey and is befriended by those who knew Steinbeck and instruct him in the legacy. Or the gentle woman who looks back seventy years recalling her famous marine biologist father's relationship with the writer - as well as with his own children. These and other stories are further brought to life by the gritty, character-driven illustrations of artist C. Kline. Images such as John's mother Olive gathering flowers while remembering a sad day in her youth. A young sailor off an aircraft carrier drinking with two American strangers in a Greek bar while a political coup is underway. A Big Sur trapper tearfully parting with a mountain lion named Flora. Or the writer explaining to a ghost he has no home and never did. These stories and characters provide pathos and humor to the portrait of a great writer dealing with his memories and fears. And - as Steinbeck once described it in a letter to a friend - the powerful desire to begin again and return to the ocean tide pools and star-gazing of his youth.
Download or read book Cannery Row written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-02-05 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steinbeck's tough yet charming portrait of people on the margins of society, dependant on one another for both physical and emotional survival Published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is: both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. Drawing on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, including longtime friend Ed Ricketts, Steinbeck interweaves the stories of Doc, Dora, Mack and his boys, Lee Chong, and the other characters in this world where only the fittest survive, to create a novel that is at once one of his most humorous and poignant works. In her introduction, Susan Shillinglaw shows how the novel expresses, both in style and theme, much that is essentially Steinbeck: “scientific detachment, empathy toward the lonely and depressed…and, at the darkest level…the terror of isolation and nothingness.” For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Download or read book Whose Names Are Unknown written by Sanora Babb and published by University of Oklahoma Press. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sanora Babb’s long-hidden novel Whose Names Are Unknown tells of the High Plains farmers who fled drought and dust storms during the Great Depression. Written with empathy for the farmers’ plight, this powerful narrative is based upon the author’s firsthand experience. Babb submitted the manuscript for this book to Random House for consideration in 1939. Editor Bennett Cerf planned to publish this “exceptionally fine” novel but when John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath swept the nation, Cerf explained that the market could not support two books on the subject.
Download or read book Reclaiming John Steinbeck written by Gavin Jones and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-10 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Steinbeck is a towering figure in twentieth-century American literature; yet he remains one of our least understood writers. This major reevaluation of Steinbeck by Gavin Jones uncovers a timely thinker who confronted the fate of humanity as a species facing climate change, environmental crisis, and a growing divide between the powerful and the marginalized. Driven by insatiable curiosity, Steinbeck's work crossed a variety of borders – between the United States and the Global South, between human and nonhuman lifeforms, between science and the arts, and between literature and film – to explore the transformations in consciousness necessary for our survival on a precarious planet. Always seeking new forms to express his ecological and social vision of human interconnectedness and vulnerability, Steinbeck is a writer of urgent concern for the twenty-first century, even as he was haunted by the legacies of racism and injustice in the American West.
Download or read book A Russian Journal written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2001-05-03 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just as the Iron Curtain fell on Eastern Europe, Steinbeck and Capa began a remarkable journey through the Soviet Union. Combining Steinbeck's compassion and humour with Capa's photographs, this text is a unique portrit of Russia and its people as they emerged from the ravages of war.
