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To a God Unknown

by John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott (Introduction & Notes by)

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 3,293 ratings · 248 reviews

As his father lies dying, Joseph Wayne decides to trade his Vermont farm for a new life in California. Once established on his ranch, he comes to revere a huge tree as the embodiment of his father's spirit.

Joseph's brothers and their wives join him, and their farms prosper. Then one of the brothers, repelled by Joseph's reverence for the tree, cuts it down. Consequences fo

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Paperback, 240 pages

Published October 1st 2001 by Penguin Books, Limited (UK) (first published 1933)

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May 13, 2007 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: mostly just Steinbeck fans

I opened this book for the first time - one of the few Steinbeck novels I had not yet read - shortly after completing my own first attempt at writing a novel. The little book is one of Steinbeck's earliest published works and, interestingly enough, the one that took him the longest to complete. It was in this context that I found the book most provoking: myself an aspiring writer, it was interesting to witness part of the development of one of my favorite novelists. Although not yet as strong an...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literary-fiction

This is an early Steinbeck novel that presents many of the stylistic and thematic traits that the author would use to much better advantage in later works. It's the story of a man who travels from Vermont to California to establish a farm and finds himself drawn into a pantheistic philosophy regarding his relationship with the earth that clashes with the local Catholic clergy. The characters are rather stilted, and the religious symbolism gets a bit heavy in places, but overall I did enjoy some...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Giovanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: stati-uniti, sfido-me

Indubbiamente il più bel libro di Steinbeck che io abbia letto. Dall'inizio alla fine,senza il minimo calo di tono e di tensione;ogni pagina piena di idee sulle quali riflettere e scritta in modo splendido.E poi questa meravigliosa natura e questi incredibili paesaggi della California che Steinbeck descrive magistralmente.

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Apr 20, 2010 Joyce Lagow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

Steinbeck wrote a number of California novels. The early ones feature lyrical descriptive prose of the land, whether of the Salinas Valley or the Pacific Coast. Clearly Steinbeck loved the area, had a real passion for the valleys, the vegetation, the animals� and the people who lived there. But while almost all of his other California novels that focused on the land and the people who lived on it were gently affectionate, To A God Unknown is a very different bird. The title is taken from an adap...more Steinbeck wrote a number of California novels. The early ones feature lyrical descriptive prose of the land, whether of the Salinas Valley or the Pacific Coast. Clearly Steinbeck loved the area, had a real passion for the valleys, the vegetation, the animals� and the people who lived there. But while almost all of his other California novels that focused on the land and the people who lived on it were gently affectionate, To A God Unknown is a very different bird. The title is taken from an adaptation of a hymn to the god Prajapati from the Hindu Rig-Veda. And while the hymn is innocuous enough, it really is a foreshadowing of what is to come.[return][return]Steinbeck used his initial chapters and prefaces to set the emotional mood of his works. In To A God Unknown, practically from the first chapter, the mood is one of a foreboding, as Joseph Wayne takes leave of his father who blesses him in a vaguely described but clearly unusual way, deliberately meant, I� m sure, to evoke Hebrew Testament patriarchs. From there on, the mood just intensifies, as Wayne finds land that is his� so much so that there is a passage that can easily be interpreted as his copulation with the earth.[return][return]From old-timers, Indian/Hispanic residents of the valley, Joseph learns of years when there was a terrible drought� when the land died and the cattle died and the people left. But Wayne is convinced that it will never happen again to his land. There is an old oak on the land, underneath which Wayne builds his house. One day, he feels a presence in the oak, and is convinced that somehow his father is there. He receives a letter from his brothers telling of the passing of the old man and how at the end there was nothing more the father wanted than to see John� s new land. The brothers, two of whom are married, come out to join Joseph in California, buy adjacent land, and jointly farm. One brother, Burton, is a fundamentalist Christian, and in his religious fanaticism lie the seeds of the outcome of this story.[return][return]The years pass� Joseph takes a wife, Elizabeth� the farms prosper� but still there is no relief from the absolute certainty that disaster is ahead, that some appalling calamity awaits. Partially, Steinbeck achieves this in his dialogue, which seems perfectly natural to the characters but is � off� � somehow not right, strange. [return][return]The tension becomes practically unbearable; the catastrophe strikes. And the resolution is both inevitable, satisfying, and unsettling at the same time.[return][return]I did not find To A God Unknown an easy read� on the contrary, I had to put it down for a while because I just could not bear what I knew was coming. This is one of Steinbeck� s most powerful and disturbing works, and will throw off those who are used to his more affectionate books such as Tortilla Flat. Yet it is an outstanding example of how mood can be determined and sustained by great writing.(less)

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Apr 24, 2013 Diana Olshevskaya rated it 4 of 5 stars

To a God Unknown is an interesting Steinbeck book, unfortunately not as known as his other novels. It's a tale that follows Joseph Wayne; an adventurous and independent young lad. Joseph desires to leave his father's farm in Vermont and travel to the East in search of a homestead. Once he receives his father's blessing, he sets of and finds a magnificent homestead in Nuestra Señora, California. The land is lush with green plants and filled with life. The utopia, however, soon ends. It all begins...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Alejandro rated it 4 of 5 stars

To A God Unknown, a story by John Steinbeck, is an extremely compelling and philosophical book. The story follows the events in the life of the main character, Joseph Wayne. After Wayne, adventurous and restless, decides to leave his family behind for the prospect of California land, his father dies and Joseph comes to believe that he embodies the spirit of a great oak tree that grows on Joseph’s property. Joseph believes that his father’s presence on his land allows for the abundant life and ri...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Victoria Phongsavane rated it 3 of 5 stars

'To a God Unknown' is a really interesting book considering that it is John Steinbeck's second novel.
Joseph Wayne leaves his family and sick father in Vermont and moves to California in search of owning his own land. He soon established his farm when he receives news of his fathers passing. His brothers then move in with him on his land, experiencing happiness and whatever the land had to offer. Joseph then believes that the oak tree next to his house is what brought prosperity to him due to hi...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Ismael Galvan rated it 5 of 5 stars

To a God Unknown is a powerful novel by John Steinbeck. The story centers on Joseph, a man who tries to build his life in Nuestra Señora, California. He is convinced that his father’s spirit has inhabited a tree and that he must protect the land from nature itself. The story raises an interesting theme of God vs. Nature. It is usually taught that god is present in all living things, but where is the tipping point between one’s spiritual connection to the earth and land worship? It is a beautiful...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Iceman rated it 3 of 5 stars

John Steinbeck foi um escritor que escreveu sobretudo sobre a sua região: Califórnia. Aquele que fez da Califórnia a principal dos seus romances.
A acção do romance passa-se em pleno Oeste norte americano no início do séc. XX.
Tendo conhecimento que o governo estaria a oferecer terras para quem se quisesse estabelecer na Califórnia, Joseph Wayne abandona a casa paterna e empreende a viagem rumo ao seu sonho. Ao chegar, escolhe alguns hectares de que lhe parecem ricos, registando-as posteriormente...more John Steinbeck foi um escritor que escreveu sobretudo sobre a sua região: Califórnia. Aquele que fez da Califórnia a principal dos seus romances.
A acção do romance passa-se em pleno Oeste norte americano no início do séc. XX.
Tendo conhecimento que o governo estaria a oferecer terras para quem se quisesse estabelecer na Califórnia, Joseph Wayne abandona a casa paterna e empreende a viagem rumo ao seu sonho. Ao chegar, escolhe alguns hectares de que lhe parecem ricos, registando-as posteriormente em seu nome.
É já quando se está a estabelecer, que recebe uma carta dos seus irmãos, informando-o da morte do seu pai, notícia essa que o entristece mas que o faz tomar consciência de uma nova era que se inicia.
Acontece que nessas suas terras, existia uma grande e velha árvore que Joseph tomou como mais do que uma simples árvore, tomou-a como um ser vivo, pensante, algo que tinha sobre ele um poder especial, algo que incorporava o poder paternal, ao fim e ao cabo, o seu próprio pai.
Neste romance, que classifico como um romance estranho, Steinbeck cria um personagem central. Joseph Wayne, homem que apenas tem olhos para a terra, mas um homem com um carácter forte que, ás tantas, sobre ele alguém afirma: ”um novo Jesus do oeste”.
No entanto este romance é um romance sobre o meio físico e social. Social porque nos narra a organização típica de uma família do velho Oeste: Um rancho que agrupa toda uma extensa família, chefiada pela figura patriarcal, preocupada essencialmente com a sus subsistência, com a terra e com a criação do gado. Físico, porque Steinbeck situa muito bem o romance: Califórnia selvagem, entre o mar e o deserto.
Mas este romance tem alguns pormenores que deixam perceber que Steinbeck escreveu-o com um sentido muito mais amplo do que aquele que tenho visto referido. Um romance sobre o amor à terra e à vida? Não! Este é um livro mais profundo, não necessariamente mais belo por isso, mas tem mensagens que ultrapassam a de uma simples e mera história.
Se não repare-se:
O personagem principal e aquele que é a essência de todo o livro, chama-se Joseph Wayne. Joseph é um nome de origem hebraica que significa Deus Acrescenta. Curioso!
Curioso também a enorme semelhança física entre Joseph e Abraão, semelhança impressionante quando se sabe que, na Bíblia, Abraão deixa a casa do seu pai e parte para uma nova terra, a terra prometida. Em “A Um Deus Desconhecido”, Joseph parte em, busca da terra prometida: o Oeste. Mas não é apenas esta a única semelhança. Ao longo do livro é notória a semelhança desta obra com acontecimentos do Velho Testamento.
Logo, este romance tem uma fortíssima componente religiosa e, curioso, é a forma como Steinbeck, propositadamente, mistura a crença católica com actos de puro paganismo.
Joseph é um homem que ama essencialmente a terra, toda a natureza. Personifica numa velha e viçosa árvore a figura do seu próprio pai, do seu Deus. A essa árvore entrega oferendas, presta-lhe culto, cumpre assim uma espécie de rito pagão.
O certo é que toda essa relação entre a crença católica e pagã tem um fim abrupto, fim esse que irá desencadear toda uma série de acontecimentos extraordinários e inesperados que porão fim ao próprio livro.
E a chuva que tem um papel tão importante?
A queda da chuva que penetra na terra mãe gerando vida, faz-nos lembrar aquelas estatuetas do Paleolítico que personificavam a fertilidade...
Em suma: este romance é uma alusão clara a vários episódios bíblicos. Joseph Wayne age como um deus, ele é a terra, a chuva, a vida, toda a natureza.
É um romance algo angustiante porque desde o princípio nos apercebemos que o trajecto da acção é omissa de certezas e poucas esperanças. É um romance que não deve ser lido apenas para estar entretido. Penso que é um livro que deve ser lido com muita atenção e com algum tempo para analisar o que foi lido, pois existem muitas mensagens que se podem extrair.
Pessoalmente gostei mas não o considero uma obra do nível das “Vinhas da Ira”, sobretudo devido à própria acção e ao ritmo que Steinbeck imprime.
A analogia de Joseph com Abraão e as constantes metáforas bíblicas, dizem-me pouco, e para além de me dizerem pouco, existem diálogos estranhos, com pouco sentido, algo maçudos que, quanto a mim, acrescentam pouco ao livro.(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Piperitapitta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autori-usa, letteratura-usa, premio-nobel, romanzo, gruppi-di-lettura, in-biblioteca

«Non so se ci siano uomini nati al di fuori della natura umana, o se alcuni uomini siano tanto umani da far sembrare irreali gli altri. Forse un semidio vive di tanto in tanto sulla terra.»

Sicuramente Steinbeck conosceva bene la Bibbia, molto meglio di me che pure vado a Messa tutte le domeniche.
La sua produzione o perlomeno quello che io ho letto della sua produzione letteraria, sin qui cinque opere, ne è pervasa; che si tratti dell'esodo dei contadini di Furore che partono in massa verso la te...more «Non so se ci siano uomini nati al di fuori della natura umana, o se alcuni uomini siano tanto umani da far sembrare irreali gli altri. Forse un semidio vive di tanto in tanto sulla terra.»

Sicuramente Steinbeck conosceva bene la Bibbia, molto meglio di me che pure vado a Messa tutte le domeniche.
La sua produzione o perlomeno quello che io ho letto della sua produzione letteraria, sin qui cinque opere, ne è pervasa; che si tratti dell'esodo dei contadini di Furore che partono in massa verso la terra di latte e miele, o degli abitanti della verde vallata de I pascoli del cielo ai quali "il Signore li conduce", o dell'altare di Al Dio sconosciuto e del suo intrinseco richiamo a San Paolo e agli Atti degli Apostoli, la Bibbia e la spiritualità nei suoi romanzi sono ovunque.
Quest'aspetto di Steinbeck mi affascina moltissimo, lui così concreto, così sensibile e attento alla condizione terrena dell'uomo e alle sue necessità primarie, eppure allo stesso tempo così ricco di misticismo e simbolismi religiosi, ed i suoi personaggi che sembrano sempre essere pronti a sfidare Dio ma costretti, quasi sempre, ad arrendersi e ad essere annientati dal destino e dall'assenza di una Provvidenza salvifica.

Crede in Dio Joseph Wayne, ma non spera in Dio: crede nella Terra, Madre e Dio allo stesso tempo, l'unica che possa condannarlo o salvarlo. Un Dio sconosciuto che gli nega l'acqua per sopravvivere, che lo rende indifferente alle necessità dell'essere umano - la moglie Elizabeth su tutti - distratto dalla sete delle terre e delle creature viventi, un Dio che lo trascina in un vortice senza fine verso la Passione.
Steinbeck ci accompagna in questa drammatica ricerca della salvezza che porterà la famiglia Wayne ad abbandonare il natio Vermont per migrare in California, alla ricerca di terre libere da coltivare e dove poter costruire la propria casa, attraverso una prosa ora lirica e ricca di colori (la traduzione sarà sì datata come sottolineato da molti, ma conserva e rende indubbiamente riconoscibile la matrice poetica dell'autore) ora aspra e polverosa; sembra quasi possibile poter riconoscere solo attraverso le parole dell'autore le variazioni cromatiche dei campi, delle foglie sugli alberi, dei fili d'erba nelle vallate e vederle trasformare davanti ai nostri occhi: ora verde brillante, ora verde scuro, ora ocra, in uno spasmo che in assenza di acqua dalla vita conduce alla morte.
Joseph Wayne allora si fa terra. E acqua.(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 David Litwack rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished rereading To a God Unknown, John Steinbeck’s second novel. I first read it many years ago when I was fifteen and it made a huge impression–not quite the book that started me writing, but close. I decided to reread it to find out why it had such an influence on me.It’s not regarded as one of Steinbeck’s best or even a particularly good novel.

Criticism ranged from lukewarm to scathing. The New York Times called it “a symbolical novel conceived in mysticism and dedicated to the soil...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Ryandake rated it 4 of 5 stars

what a transition for me: from a mythopoeic ghost story to a mythopoeic gaia tale. i am reading on a high plane indeed. gettin' a little dizzy up here.

steinbeck's tale is, however, one that every californian should know, because it is like to happen again. recent years in california have been pretty fat, as far as rains go. while i'm not rearing any cattle out of my apartment, if i were, they'd be some pretty glossy, frisky critters, because the grass this year is thick upon the hills.

but this i...more what a transition for me: from a mythopoeic ghost story to a mythopoeic gaia tale. i am reading on a high plane indeed. gettin' a little dizzy up here.

steinbeck's tale is, however, one that every californian should know, because it is like to happen again. recent years in california have been pretty fat, as far as rains go. while i'm not rearing any cattle out of my apartment, if i were, they'd be some pretty glossy, frisky critters, because the grass this year is thick upon the hills.

but this is california, and the drought is always coming. and it always does.

steinbeck's poor vermont farmer got told this precious bit of info the moment he bought his southern monterey county ranch, and like a lot of easterners, he didn't get it. refused to believe it. stocked up on cows and had a couple really fine years, until the drought came.

i have to say, steinbeck's depiction of poor joseph going bonkers as day stretches after day and still, no rains come is pretty--well, accurate. even those of us who don't make a living in a fashion that relies on rains can feel it, when the months stretch on and the rains don't come. it's a sort of itchy feeling, a wrongness, part of the mind entirely occupied in waiting and watching. for joseph, it's maddening. following along with his deepening nutjobbery is at base recognizable to a californian.

but it's still eerie. there but for the grace of an unknown god go i, ha.

steinbeck gets dinged a lot for being archetypal to the point of cartoonishness, and i won't say he doesn't deserve a gentle chiding (or maybe two, where this book is concerned) for it. but i gotta give him credit for trying (and largely succeeding, i think) to convey the huge, disinterested, and implacable sense one gets from the california landscape. california could indeed shrug us all off into the ocean, with barely a yawn, and those of us who live here know it deep in our bones. and yet it is beautiful and rich, truly edenic, when it wants to be. steinbeck was californian to his marrow. and he's infused this book throughout with that beautiful, horrible, intoxicating sense of the land. (less)

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Sep 19, 2011 Христо Блажев rated it 5 of 5 stars

Стайнбек като запазена марка – “Към един незнаен бог”: http://www.knigolandia.info/2009/11/b...

Няма как да бъде сбъркана книга, писана от Стайнбек. В поредицата “На изток от рая”, “Гроздовете на гнева”, “Зимата на нашето недоволство” и кой ли още не, “Към един незнаен бог” влиза като късче от огромен пъзел, за да завърши още една малка част от него. Цялата картина за съжаление винаги ще остане само в главата на великия писател, който ни е дал толкова много части от нея, но е било невъзможно да о...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

An odd, often clumsy, but also fearless book. To a God Unknown is John Steinbeck's second novel, following a historical romance. I would not have guessed, in reading its first half, that I would end up giving it a 4-star rating, but its insistence on its unusual pantheistic themes, coupled with Steinbeck's tremendous evocation of the interior, unsung part of the California landscape's beauties and terrors, combined for powerful effect. The reader must be prepared for unrealistic dialogue -- Stei...more An odd, often clumsy, but also fearless book. To a God Unknown is John Steinbeck's second novel, following a historical romance. I would not have guessed, in reading its first half, that I would end up giving it a 4-star rating, but its insistence on its unusual pantheistic themes, coupled with Steinbeck's tremendous evocation of the interior, unsung part of the California landscape's beauties and terrors, combined for powerful effect. The reader must be prepared for unrealistic dialogue -- Steinbeck may have been trying to write on a small-b biblical level, reaching for a mythic tone. In that way, it is a young man's book, a little braver than even he may have realized at the time; and whether Steinbeck knew Melville's comment ("To write a great book, one must be able to write badly," as I remember it), he was practicing it. A cold eye could enumerate many examples of that latter aspect, but only someone impervious to the hunger for the spiritual side of life will sustain a cold eye throughout his reading of this one. I was reading it simultaneously with John O'Hara's Appointment in Samarra, where sharp, accurate, revealing dialogue is one of O'Hara's great strengths; and it was an interesting contrast. Both were written at approximately, or possibly exactly the same time, published one year apart in 1933 and 1934. While To a God Unknown never comments on the Depression, and is set a couple decades earlier, it is imbued with some kind of recognition of it. Steinbeck's protagonist moves to the west, finds great opportunity in his homesteading, and the rest of his family follow him out and set up a ranch together. Joseph Wayne remains their leader and patriarch, and is obsessed with fertility in all forms, but especially in the power of the land blooming with it. Both his crusade for fertility, and the mystical, spiritual yearnings that drove it, have to reflect some influence from American life at the pit of the Depression. Steinbeck is good with the Mexican characters that appear here, too. A unique book. (less)

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Feb 10, 2011 Tony rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-mainstream

Steinbeck, John. TO A GOD UNKNOWN. (1933). ***. This novel is unlike any other that I have read by Steinbeck. It is preachy – advocating a back to the land movement to cure the ills of mankind. A young man from the East tells his father that he plans to move to California and homestead the necessary acres to make the land his. He believes that the level of opportunity for him in the East is limited and he needs a new canvas to fill out the picture of his life. He makes his move and builds a cabi...more Steinbeck, John. TO A GOD UNKNOWN. (1933). ***. This novel is unlike any other that I have read by Steinbeck. It is preachy – advocating a back to the land movement to cure the ills of mankind. A young man from the East tells his father that he plans to move to California and homestead the necessary acres to make the land his. He believes that the level of opportunity for him in the East is limited and he needs a new canvas to fill out the picture of his life. He makes his move and builds a cabin and begins to farm the property. Everything he finds there is a new discovery for him. He takes on what is much like a pagan attitude towards the flora and fauna of his new ranch. Later, after his father dies, his brothers and their families move out and homestead land abutting his. They begin to form their own community in what was once a wilderness. Little did they suspect that they were subject to the whims of nature that governed the amount of rain that they would receive. Having just come off of ten good years of rainfall, it didn’t enter into their calculations. The novel then tells of their disaster followed by a rediscovery of themselves in their new world. I learned that this novel “had its origins in “The Green Lady,” a play written by Steinbeck’s friend Webster (Toby) Street, who first showed Steinbeck his manuscript in 1927. Unable to complete the play, Street entrusted the manuscript to Steinbeck, who drafted part of a novel based on the play the following year, with authorial credit shared on the manuscript by Steinbeck and Street. Steinbeck continued to work on the book, making major alterations in the story. In the fall of 1931...he described the novel as ‘torn down like a Duzenberg having its valves ground, and in February, 1932, he wrote that he had changed ‘the place, characters, time, theme, and thesis.’” Unlike the other Steinbeck novels, this novel has no humor. His characters are vehicles for what he sees as a new philosophy, and speak their lines appropriately. If you read this novel as your first foray into Steinbeck, you would not likely read any more of his works.(less)

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Sep 03, 2010 Andrew Liptak rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the latest books that I’ve read recently is John Steinbeck’s To A God Unknown, his second novel, and a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The story, which looks to the Bible, ancient myths, paganism and several other influences, weaves together a story about belief and faith, mixing reality and fantasy in what I would really call a speculative fiction novel.

Set in the 1800s, the book follows the story of the Joseph Wayne, a Vermonter, who yearns to go out west, and receiving the...more
One of the latest books that I’ve read recently is John Steinbeck’s To A God Unknown, his second novel, and a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. The story, which looks to the Bible, ancient myths, paganism and several other influences, weaves together a story about belief and faith, mixing reality and fantasy in what I would really call a speculative fiction novel.

Set in the 1800s, the book follows the story of the Joseph Wayne, a Vermonter, who yearns to go out west, and receiving the blessing from his father, he does so, only to learn that his father has passed away shortly after he settles in California. At that moment, Wayne believes that his father’s spirit and soul has become imbued with the giant oak tree next to the house, and in his own way, be worships the tree. His three brothers move out west to his farm, and for a time, the valley is teeming with life. The brothers come across a rock in a glade, with a stream coming out of it, and discover that it is a sacred place to the Indios. Soon thereafter, Benjy, their youngest, alcoholic brother, is killed in a scuffle by Juanito, one of the farmhands, who vanishes.

One brother, Burton, is a devout Christian, and becomes angry with his brother for his interactions with the oak tree, believing it to be of darker powers at work, which go against his own beliefs. He leaves the farm, but not before killing the tree. This has dire consequences for the valley, which begins to dry up as a drought sets in, which begins to kill the land. More accidents come. Joseph’s wife, Elizabeth, falls to her death at the rock, and Joseph and Thomas decide to leave the farm, bringing their cattle to greener pastures. Joseph stays, and is rejoined by Juanito, who convinces Joseph to visit the local priest. When Joseph tries to get the priest to pray for the land, he refuses, and tells Joseph that he is sick, and offers his own help. Joseph returns to the glade to find that the stream coming out of the rock has dried up. When he decides to leave, he gets cut. Inspired, he climbs on top of the rock, cuts his wrists open, sacrificing himself, and soon after, it begins to rain.

I have long been a fan of John Steinbeck, ever since I first read his short novella, Of Mice and Men in Mrs. Page’s English class at Harwood Union High School, and I moved on to a number of his other books – Cannery Row, Travels With Charley, The Pearl, The Red Pony, and The Grapes of Wrath – I’ve long loved the Americana element of his writing, and for me, he is one of the quintessential American writers, one who touches deeply on themes of the country. Recently, I’ve become interested in reading more of his books, and while browsing through the bookstore, I came across this book, and was interested because at a first glance, it fell squarely within the speculative fiction range, retelling elements of the Bible, older religions and myths to bring about an interesting story. There are a number of pure fantastic elements as well, right down to the last actions of the book, when Joseph dies, and his spirit renews the land from his soul and belief.

I’ve long believed that stories aren’t really defined by their physical story elements – the characters, locations and items that they use – but by the ways in which the characters perceive their environment around them, and use the actions of the story to learn. To A God Unknown is about belief and faith of the strongest type: the intangible, the unknowable, and the impossible. Throughout the story, Joseph is a character that believes strongly in the land and its well being, and perceives of some higher power in ways that are not, to say the least, traditional, and raising the ire of his family and community members. Yet, while reading, Joseph’s actions demonstrate that he has the most honest and raw form of belief: he believes in the land, and sees his actions rewarded in any number of ways, and punished in others. For me personally, this was an interesting book because I’m not sold on the concept of God, as proscribed by any number of religious institutions. My beliefs lie somewhere with Josephs: God, or any higher power that escapes definition, is something that is unknowable, intangible and mysterious.

The last pages of the book were by far one of the most important that I read, in almost anything, when Joseph goes to a priest, looking to help save the land. The priest refuses, saying that his job is to ensure the salvation of the human soul, not that of the land, setting up a major divide between the anarchical views that Joseph takes, as opposed to a major institution such as the Catholic Church. In a way, Joseph believes in the entirety of the universe, which felt far more basic and universal than the Church, which looks simply to one of God’s (If there is one who created everything) creations for their own benefit. This has never, and still doesn’t, sit well with me, and I prefer Joseph’s more universal, general view on how the world runs. This falls with a number of other world views, and it’s interesting to see this all presented in a novel such as it was. Steinbeck has created a wonderful, fantastic novel with To A God Unknown, and one that has left me thinking far more than I thought it would have.

(Originally posted to my blog)(less)

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May 04, 2010 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book gets four stars because it kept me reading when I thought that ideology was gonna make me have to put it down. Fortunately Mr. Steinbeck is a pretty awesome writer, although a lot of his ideas about religion, humans and animals, and gender are pretty jacked up. He's real gender-essentialist, for instance, and that is pretty important in this book, especially in the early parts. Patriarchy--like literal patriarchy, out of the Bible--that's really important too. And I just can't get behi...more

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Feb 20, 2009 Mike Frost rated it 2 of 5 stars

Although it runs only 240 pages (compare that to East of Eden at 601 pages), To a God Unknown was the project which took Steinbeck the longest to complete. It was only his second full-length novel, and he worked on it over a period of five years, nearly scrapping it on more than one occasion. And despite all of his revisions and efforts he just did not succeed in making it a great piece of literature.

Now don't get me wrong -- it is still in an entirely different league than the pulpy kind of gar...more Although it runs only 240 pages (compare that to East of Eden at 601 pages), To a God Unknown was the project which took Steinbeck the longest to complete. It was only his second full-length novel, and he worked on it over a period of five years, nearly scrapping it on more than one occasion. And despite all of his revisions and efforts he just did not succeed in making it a great piece of literature.

Now don't get me wrong -- it is still in an entirely different league than the pulpy kind of garbage that sells by the cartload at the grocery checkout line, and it should have been more obvious to the critics of the day that this young author had great potential. But ultimately To a God Unknown is an example of a writer overreaching, straining to attain lofty heights and instead painfully falling short.

It was actually reassuring to me -- as one of the 295 million aspiring authors in the United States -- to see that someone with as much talent as Steinbeck could also struggle to find himself. In fact, this novel taught me a few good lessons:

1) Not all projects or ideas are created equal. To a God Unknown sprang out of a play that one of Steinbeck's friends had written in college. Being a young and inexperienced author, Steinbeck may have thought it would be easier to build on an existing storyline and set of characters, despite the fact that the source itself did not receive many accolades. But the kernel of the story was just lacking something. I have no doubt that Steinbeck greatly improved it in his version, but a plot focusing on a farmer who reverts to pantheism and ultimately sacrifices his own blood to feed the drought-ridden land simply does not resonate with the average person,* no matter how talented Steinbeck himself was. It's the literary equivalent to Christopher Nolan's film, Insomnia, which also showed that all the talent in the world can't make up for a weak story line, even if it is well executed. Before pouring five years of his life into a story that was fundamentally flawed, Steinbeck would have been well-advised to spend more time elaborating a better premise.

2) Establishing your voice is crucial. Even the most casual fan knows that Steinbeck's books generally take place in the Salinas region of California, and that his works are populated by the most common of people. In To a god Unknown he is still honing this voice, and makes the ill-fated decision to focus on a character who is larger than life. Joseph (modeled after the biblical figure) is a man who nobody -- not his wife, brothers, or ultimately the readers -- can relate to, because he is intentionally designed to be more. He has feelings and desires that the average person cannot relate to, and his behavior and beliefs are, at times, simply inexplicable. It wasn't until Steinbeck discovered his ability to relate to the common man with his next novel, Tortilla Flat, a story about wine-drinking, fun-loving paisanos in Monterey, California, that he achieved critical success.

3) To succeed at being an author, you have to WORK. Those were an incredibly trying five years for Steinbeck, during which time he weathered many setbacks and rejections. We have the benefit of hindsight to know that it all turned out well in the end, but for the young author he had no way of knowing that he would ever succeed. His first novel, Cup of Gold, had hardly sold at all, and for five long years he divided his time between trying to sharpen a story which would ultimately defeat him, and trying to sell a story he was faltering with to publishers who had no faith in him. If he had not slogged through this book and seen its publication (and subsequent lack of success) and still been willing to push onward, the world would never have known Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, The Red Pony, or The Winter of our Discontent.

Ultimately I would love to be responsible for a failure as great as To a God Unknown. It is easy to follow the link from this novel, with its tragedy and gritty earthiness, to Steinbeck's masterpieces. But, somewhat ironically, this novel does a better job at illuminating the enormous character of Steinbeck than it does at interesting the reader in the artificial and ambiguous Joseph Wayne.

[*Now that I've written it up in this single sentence I'm feeling a little more intrigued by it -- maybe I can kind of understand the allure it held for Steinbeck, even if in the end it was inperfectable.:] (less)

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Jun 23, 2012 Ginny rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: riletti, teen, romanzi, favorites

L’evocazione di temi biblici, spesso contaminata da una religiosità pagana misteriosa e quasi magica, caratterizza molta parte della narrativa di Steinbeck, sia per le vicende che tratta, sia per le caratteristiche che imprime ai luoghi e ai personaggi. In particolare, il paesaggio naturale si carica di significati inquietanti, di presagi propizi o infausti, scandendo e talora determinando il decorso degli eventi e le sorti delle persone; alcuni protagonisti dei suoi romanzi, poi, possiedono un’...more

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May 15, 2012 Susan Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Steinbeck leaves such a legacy of literature inclding his classics "Grapes of Wrath", "Of Mice of Men" and "Cain and Abel" that it seems impossible that I missed one of his books. And, yet, I did. This third novel is a strong, early work of a man whose talent would only become stronger. Along with fellow Nobel Prize winners, Faulkner and Hemingway, he valued the creative process of literary writing.
Although, I am quite familiar with the Salinas area, this book has special meaning for me. Th...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Louis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Steinbeck and literature fans.

I'm always hesitent in reviewing books that belong in the literature section. I think I suffer from scars laid down in english class. No matter what I got from the book, I feel I missed or overlooked a dish from this buffet table of pages. Then there is always the oracle of critical analysis... the Cliff notes. The smartest kid in the class who is everyone's secret friend, but no fair, they aren't enrolled! Who made Cliff the bar I have to reach? Cliff, always there to remind me that I'm the slo...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

I can always count on a Steinbeck to break the streak of crappy, 2-star reads. I love how I can always return to him, with a book I’ve never really heard of, and immediately fall back in step with his style, his worldview, and completely love his message.

Apparently this is his second book, and you can clearly see how he’s building up to his greater works, laying the foundation for themes to be developed throughout the course of his writing career. Though clearly in his second tier under Grapes,...more I can always count on a Steinbeck to break the streak of crappy, 2-star reads. I love how I can always return to him, with a book I’ve never really heard of, and immediately fall back in step with his style, his worldview, and completely love his message.

Apparently this is his second book, and you can clearly see how he’s building up to his greater works, laying the foundation for themes to be developed throughout the course of his writing career. Though clearly in his second tier under Grapes, Mice, and Eden, I couldn’t put this down, felt incredibly moved, and loved his focus on the earth, nature, and the universal life we all experience. There is so much emphasis on “the land,” the animals, the weather, and to be honest there really isn’t a whole lot of plot – but yet each sentence seemed to drip with such meaning, such spirituality, that you can’t deny the grace around you any more than Joseph here could deny it around him. I kept thinking of the famous Chapter 3 of Grapes, with the turtle crossing the road: the entire book illustrates his building to that mastery by showing us the relationship between man, animal, land, God. He’ll write pages about the grass and the rain, the cows eating hay, the leaves of the big oak, but it’s done with sentences that I eagerly ate up, flying along, feeling like I was experiencing a moment of Zen if not witnessing God, like Joseph. There is much focus on spirituality without necessarily acknowledging God -- hence the title. There are fights over such views with Joseph’s brother, the priest, understanding with his wife, Thomas, and even acknowledged “worshipping” with other members of the clan. Much symbolism and portrayals of many things in many sections remain to be analyzed, but I feel like taking a page out of Joseph’s book and just leaving them felt, unsaid, though to be fair, I think the portrayal of Joseph as a martyr to the land, for his religion, was a bit much.

To any fan of Steinbeck looking to explore his deeper catalog, this is a must. Nature, life, God, death, people, animals – existence. It’s all here. Though the plot is slow, the mood carries you away.
(less)

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Apr 30, 2011 Suzy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nick, Teri

Continuing in my quest to read all of Steinbeck...

Wow, this book affected me more than any other book in a long while. First, Steinbeck's writing is pure beauty. Sometimes I stop and savor each sentence, particularly in descriptive passages, and the perfection with which he writes is unbelievable.
Like the protagonist, Joseph, I love and feel connected to nature in a deep and a strong way. I also have a strong sense of the sacred that permeates my everyday experiences; Joseph seems always distrac...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

not one of steinbeck's best. i guess that is what happens when you read all the good ones first. isn't as well written as his others. when i think about the plot and what went on in the book it seems like a great idea and a powerful story, but once it gets down on paper, it just doesnt seem like much happens, even though a lot does (affairs, murders, parties, idol worship, babies, death).

however, in true Steinbeck fashion he comes up with a solid ending. i am not sure why the ending was great, b...more

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Dec 05, 2010 jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

as one of steinbeck's earliest works (his second novel), to a god unknown is not nearly as refined, cohesive, or accomplished an effort as the ones that followed. the sheer ambition and determination with which steinbeck set about writing this book, however, may not have been matched at any other point in his career. initially adapting the book's theme from an unfinished stage play by one of his stanford classmates, steinbeck labored for five years (longer than with any other of his works) and,...more as one of steinbeck's earliest works (his second novel), to a god unknown is not nearly as refined, cohesive, or accomplished an effort as the ones that followed. the sheer ambition and determination with which steinbeck set about writing this book, however, may not have been matched at any other point in his career. initially adapting the book's theme from an unfinished stage play by one of his stanford classmates, steinbeck labored for five years (longer than with any other of his works) and, finally after many rewrites, completed a novel far different from its earliest drafts.

while to a god unknown contains many elements steinbeck would revisit and explore with greater depth in later books, the novel stands as one of the most unique and complex he ever wrote. the story is one that considers the conflicting ideologies of paganism and christianity, and their effects upon identity and choice. no mere morality tale, to a god unknown aptly portrays ardent belief straying into the realm of illogical and pernicious devotion. as fabulously constructed as steinbeck's characters usually are, these ring somewhat shallow and underdeveloped in comparison. to a god unknown is a good novel, and though certainly not steinbeck's strongest outing, it remains an interesting and important part of his exceptional body of work.

high up on a tremendous peak, towering over the ranges and the valleys, the brain of the world was set, and the eyes that looked down on the earth's body. the brain could not understand the life on its body. it lay inert, knowing vaguely that it could shake off the life, the towns, the little houses of the fields with earthquake fury. but the brain was drowsed and the mountain lay still, and the fields were peaceful on their rounded cliff that went down to the abyss. and thus it stood a million years, unchanging and quiet, and the world-brain in its peak lay close to sleep. the world-brain sorrowed a little, for it knew that some time it would have to move, and then the life would be shaken and destroyed and the long work of tillage would be gone, and the houses in the valleys would crumble. the brain was sorry, but it could change nothing. it thought, "i will endure even a little discomfort to preserve this order which has come to exist by accident. it will be a shame to destroy this order." but the towering earth was tired of sitting in one position. it moved, suddenly, and the houses crumbled, the mountains heaved horribly, and all the work of a million years was lost.(less)

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Apr 03, 2008 B. rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of American lit

One of Steinbeck's early novellas, it is eerie, neo-paganistic, and sublime. The brother who is murdered was actually based on a real literary figure...Joseph Campbell. The two ran with the same literary crowd in the 40s and Campbell had an affair of the heart with Steinbeck's wife. Steinbeck handled the affair with grace and tact in reality, but poured out some righteous anger in To a God Unknown. Awesome stuff.

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Jan 14, 2010 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Purple and brown, dusty wine shot through with wheat-colored sun.

John Steinbeck's, "To a God Unknown," is both love letter and a Dear John to his native Northern California countryside.

The author lingers often and long on the Salinas Valley landscape, now a land of milk 'n honey, moist, juicy, dashed with clover; now a dry and crusty graveyard frozen beneath a foreboding moon. These pastoral passages can transport. Steinbeck looks at the same places and renders them differently with each new e...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-challenge

This is a pretty typical book from John Steinbeck. It is the story of Joseph Wayne and his three brothers, working the family ranch in the west. What I liked about it is that each brother represents characteristics that we often see in people. One is lazy and seeks only pleasure. Another is deeply religious in the traditional sense. A third brother is in tune with nature and finds companionship amongst the animals more natural than with humans. Lastly, the fourth brother, Joseph, is filled with...more

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Apr 12, 2009 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 15, 2013 John Drumm rated it 5 of 5 stars

A book I recommend to anyone, not just to Steinbeck fans. Not only does it have the best book title, it is a book of such amazing ambition and skill. The story is of a father with 4 sons(you really only need to know 2, the other 2 are less important) One son decides to make his fortune by moving away to Salinas Valley where land is plentiful and cheap. When he gets there, he is convinced his father died and is now living in a large tree over his newly established farm. His brother, a religious f...more

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About John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck III was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937. In all, he wrote twenty-five books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories.

In 1962 Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Steinbeck grew up in the Salinas Valley...more John Steinbeck III was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939 and the novella Of Mice and Men, published in 1937. In all, he wrote twenty-five books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and several collections of short stories.

In 1962 Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Steinbeck grew up in the Salinas Valley region of California, a culturally diverse place of rich migratory and immigrant history. This upbringing imparted a regionalistic flavor to his writing, giving many of his works a distinct sense of place.

Steinbeck moved briefly to New York City, but soon returned home to California to begin his career as a writer. Most of his earlier work dealt with subjects familiar to him from his formative years. An exception was his first novel Cup of Gold which concerns the pirate Henry Morgan, whose adventures had captured Steinbeck's imagination as a child.

In his subsequent novels, Steinbeck found a more authentic voice by drawing upon direct memories of his life in California. Later he used real historical conditions and events in the first half of 20th century America, which he had experienced first-hand as a reporter.

Steinbeck often populated his stories with struggling characters; his works examined the lives of the working class and migrant workers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. His later body of work reflected his wide range of interests, including marine biology, politics, religion, history, and mythology.

One of his last published works was Travels with Charley, a travelogue of a road trip he took in 1960 to rediscover America. He died in 1968 in New York of a heart attack and his ashes are interred in Salinas.

Seventeen of his works, including The Grapes of Wrath (1940), Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), and East of Eden (1952), went on to become Hollywood films, and Steinbeck also achieved success as a Hollywood writer, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Story in 1944 for Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat.(less)

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Quotes from To a God Unknown

“There are some times...when the love for people is strong and warm like a sorrow.” — 30 people liked it

“I should have known […] I am the rain. […] I am the land […] and I am the rain. The grass will grow out of me in a little while.” — 7 people liked it

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