The Essentials: WORKING DAYS

Unvarnished and uncensored: in these journals, kept as “a marvelous method of calming me down,” during the writing of THE GRAPES OF WRATH, Steinbeck details the pain, resentment, self-doubt, and travails that plagued him as he embarked on a journey that resulted in one of the greatest novels of all time. It is a raw portrait of the writing life and of the war waged between the brain and the page, proof that it doesn’t get easier and that no matter the result, the war will always be the same.

*Note: this was first published as part of a complete list in installment 0010 of my bi-weekly newsletter; I’m planning to republish and expand that list here over the coming months.