A Biographical and Critical Introduction of John Steinbeck

by Roy S. Simmonds

This study will provide readers with a comprehensive insight into his life and work. It examines his evolution as a writer from 1929 until 1968. It explores not only the themes that preoccupied him as a writer, but also the concepts and philosophies that shaped the course of investigations into the mysteries of human nature and psyche. The book also shows how hi interest in marine biology and his friendship with the scientist Ed Ricketts is also reflected in his work, reaching its greatest fruition in the co-authored volume Sea of Cortez. The linking of this ongoing critical review with a close look at his personal life will enable the reader to identify the provenances of many of his novels and to appreciate fully the difficult circumstances in which some of them were written. An extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources is included, listing all Steinbeck’s uncollected fiction and non-fiction, and the films that have been made from his works.

Paperback

First published November 1, 2000