Loving Steinbeck Again!

A couple months ago John Steinbeck eddied up from my subconscious

and I found myself in a mad dash for Powell’s City of Books in Portland,

Oregon where I knew I could glut on used Steinbeck within my budget.

I acquired two travelogues:

A Journey into Steinbeck’s California by Susan Shillinglaw with photographs

by Nancy Burnett &

Steinbeck Country photographed and written by Steve Couch.

Between the two books I salivated for more. Later I would go online to

discover that the John Steinbeck Festival in Salinas, California (his hometown)

is upcoming in May. Since it is only every other year, I decide I have to go.

Next I looked for biographies and there were several. I decided on the one

by Nelson Valjean: John Steinbeck, the Errant Knight (An Intimate biography

of his California years) because they were friends growing up.

Usually an odd book sticks out and that was: John Steinbeck, a Journal of a novel

(The East of Eden Letters) Steinbeck wrote to his editor, Pascal Covici to warm up

before each days writing. He began with: Dear Pat:______________

Then of course I had to re-read East of Eden which was already on my bookshelf.

This time it was a richer experience because of the new information in John Stein-

beck’s letters to his editor: The Hamiltons in the story were his mother’s forebears.

The story was semi-autobiographical to hand down family history to his sons.

The Trask family was created as their foil. If you read EOE again knowing this,

the story simply feels more real.

The Steinbeck stories that made him one of my favorite authors early on were

The Pearl, The Red Pony and Of Mice and Men.

As I looked for a volume of his short stories, I found The Long Valley and was de-

lighted that The Red Pony was included. Reading it again after reading of Steinbeck’s

own childhood pony experience gave it a special resonance I had not perceived

the first time.

All of this inspired me to visit the Library and see what else I wanted to read before

my literary pilgrimage to the John Steinbeck Festival in May.  I reserved Cup of Gold,

his first novel and Tortilla Flat his second novel and also the breakthrough novel.

TF is a place shared by a group of “paisanos” led by Danny, who luckily inherits a

small piece of land with two houses. They drink gallons of wine, wander about,

exhibit lots of libido behaviors and are essentially bums with a home thanks to

Danny’s generosity. Steinbeck shapes the story into one of love and loyalty and

despite the flaws, made his characters endearing and wholly human.

It was, however, not a story that I would have been assigned in high school for

all the moral reasons schools usually deem necessary. I enjoyed it immensely!

I was so busy reading EOE, I had to return Cup of Gold unread. I’ll read it later.

I have momentum to consider.

Next I got a craving to re-read Travels with Charlie.  After reading the biography,

I felt I had a closer understanding of Steinbeck as a character and he certainly

was all of that! The TWC non-fiction travelogue stoked my excitement for my

journey to Salinas in May.

Cannery Row has been a longtime favorite, too. After reading about Steinbeck’s

real life friendship with Monterey biologist Ed Ricketts, I really wanted to read it

again. At the Library, I ordered Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, its sequel I

hadn’t read.  A retired biologist friend of mine told me that reading Sweet Thursday

set him on his path to study biology.

During my research I also discovered that Steinbeck kept a journal as he wrote

The Grapes of Wrath. The Librarian put in a request for an interlibrary loan for it.

I have started reading TGOW again as well.

I remember wondering why Hemingway got more attention as a writer in our

Literature department at college. Steinbeck seemed to me to be a much better

writer. Then when I read that he was accused of being a “communist” for sticking

up for the poor & disenfranchised, it became clearer.

Also, “Papa” Hemingway was romanticized with good photographs and Steinbeck

was usually shown in ugly mutt photography.

As a grown up woman in my 60s, I have a new appreciation of Steinbeck as his

words unwrap a unique, sexier, caring psyche. I began missing him realizing there

is no chance I’ll ever meet him since he died in 1968 at the age of 66-his heart

finally wore out from a lifetime of smoking and he enjoyed spirits too.

Steinbeck left a legacy of literature, much honored, especially with a Pulitzer

and a Nobel prize.

It makes me sad that he died too soon. If he had lived to be 100, just think of

the further literary contributions he could have made! As it is, he left a treasure

trove.

Good-bye, John Steinbeck. Thank you for all your great stories. I still think that

you are a cut above Hemingway.

Raintreepoet, reporting.

April 2016