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John Steinbeck, the errant knight: An intimate biography of his California years
- GenresBiography
184 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 24, 2021
Apr 24, 10am ~~ Review asap. Excellent book!
Apr 24, 230pm ~~ I was very impressed with this biography of Steinbeck. I have read many of his books, some more than once, but until I read The Log from the Sea of Cortez, I did not feel all that connected to the man behind the writing. But that book made me more curious about him, so I visited my favorite online used bookseller and here we are.
Author Nelson Valjean was a newspaper reporter in Salinas when Steinbeck was a young man. He explains in his Author's Note how John's father called one day in 1930 to invite Valjean to dinner. Dad was hoping Valjean could maybe give John some pointers about the writing business. Valjean did not have dinner at the Steinbeck house that night. But he heard about John again just a week later when a co-worker mentioned she had just read A Cup Of Gold, Steinbeck's new and very first book. She thought it 'wasn't bad'.
This caused Valjean to begin doing research for what he figured would be a feature article for his paper. More than forty years later he published this book. He got to know his subject when JS lived in Pacific Grove, and told him once that he wanted to write his biography. But Steinbeck asked him not to do that, so he honored that request. Fr the moment. He did not publish this book until 1975, seven years after Steinbeck had passed away.
The book presents a vivid portrait of Steinbeck, turning him from a mere name that everyone knows into a flesh and blood man with issues, fears, an intense curiosity about life, and a way of following his own drummer that confused and irritated a lot of people. He was shy and preferred to be alone in order to think about his projects (thinking was always a major step, and friends could tell when he was lost in mentally working out story lines).
I think he would have been hell to live with, but what truly creative is not? There are some people in the world who simply do not fit any molds and Steinbeck was certainly one of them.
And I'll tell you something else about this biography that impressed me. Our Mr. Valjean knew not to give away the plots of any of the Steinbeck book's he talked about. The reader learns about various events and situations that inspired this or that tale, and the creative process as Steinbeck handled it was always on the page. But never once did Valjean drop any spoilers!
This book was more about the man than his work, and that is what makes it priceless for me. I am going to be working my way through some of Steinbeck's novels over the next couple of months and I am already looking forward to referring back to this book to remind myself of what was going on in the author's life as he wrote each one.
Thank you to Mr. Valjean! This is one of the best author biographies I have read in a long time.
Apr 24, 230pm ~~ I was very impressed with this biography of Steinbeck. I have read many of his books, some more than once, but until I read The Log from the Sea of Cortez, I did not feel all that connected to the man behind the writing. But that book made me more curious about him, so I visited my favorite online used bookseller and here we are.
Author Nelson Valjean was a newspaper reporter in Salinas when Steinbeck was a young man. He explains in his Author's Note how John's father called one day in 1930 to invite Valjean to dinner. Dad was hoping Valjean could maybe give John some pointers about the writing business. Valjean did not have dinner at the Steinbeck house that night. But he heard about John again just a week later when a co-worker mentioned she had just read A Cup Of Gold, Steinbeck's new and very first book. She thought it 'wasn't bad'.
This caused Valjean to begin doing research for what he figured would be a feature article for his paper. More than forty years later he published this book. He got to know his subject when JS lived in Pacific Grove, and told him once that he wanted to write his biography. But Steinbeck asked him not to do that, so he honored that request. Fr the moment. He did not publish this book until 1975, seven years after Steinbeck had passed away.
The book presents a vivid portrait of Steinbeck, turning him from a mere name that everyone knows into a flesh and blood man with issues, fears, an intense curiosity about life, and a way of following his own drummer that confused and irritated a lot of people. He was shy and preferred to be alone in order to think about his projects (thinking was always a major step, and friends could tell when he was lost in mentally working out story lines).
I think he would have been hell to live with, but what truly creative is not? There are some people in the world who simply do not fit any molds and Steinbeck was certainly one of them.
And I'll tell you something else about this biography that impressed me. Our Mr. Valjean knew not to give away the plots of any of the Steinbeck book's he talked about. The reader learns about various events and situations that inspired this or that tale, and the creative process as Steinbeck handled it was always on the page. But never once did Valjean drop any spoilers!
This book was more about the man than his work, and that is what makes it priceless for me. I am going to be working my way through some of Steinbeck's novels over the next couple of months and I am already looking forward to referring back to this book to remind myself of what was going on in the author's life as he wrote each one.
Thank you to Mr. Valjean! This is one of the best author biographies I have read in a long time.
November 28, 2015
I enjoyed Valjean's book. The boyhood stories alone are worth the time reading. My only complaint is that I wish he had better documented his sources. It doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the content, but it does cost him a star for completeness.
If you want to peer behind the curtain of John Steinbeck's life, this is a great place to start. Find it and read it!
If you want to peer behind the curtain of John Steinbeck's life, this is a great place to start. Find it and read it!
February 5, 2024
A personable rendition that provides an insightful portrait of Steinbeck's background and development. I rediscovered this volume, sitting on my shelf for forty years, unread. I had recently reread his more popular novels, so it's good to know what the author was doing when he wrote them. The biographer identifies people Steinbeck knew that became several of his characters as well as situations he experienced or had heard of that were used in his stories. There are not a lot of details about his life, but the many highlights of his younger days are enjoyably told and nostalgic. John Steinbeck was of my grandparents generation growing up in a middle class family so I speculate what similar experiences they may have had, perhaps minus the more nefarious activities..? Steinbeck's "shyness" was emphasized yet he seemed to have a multitude of good friends and acquaintances over his lifetime. Interactions with him may have been trying for them at times, especially if female. Often eccentric, he dabbled in many things and lived life to the fullest. Perhaps not always likable but very observant, curious, and speculative. An interesting personality.
June 19, 2012
If you love John Steinbeck's work as much as I do, this taut concise anecdote filled book will be as cat nip to a cat.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews