Steinbeck fans discussion
John Steinbeck Reading Challenge
date
newest »
newest »
Hi how is your challenge going ?
I started collecting Steinbeck about 3 months ago: titles collection of 1st Editions (or special limited re-editions for the out of reach ones plus literary criticism of Steinbeck. With the help of Vintage Atlanta Books I've made great progress.My favorites? Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat, Winter of Our Discontent (which got me started)- In Dubious Battle takes a bit of getting use to - go for it! Hal Smith, Rydal, GA
That's great Hal. I just finished Sweet Thursday today and read In Dubious Battle a couple of weeks ago. Hope to read Tortilla Flats and Winter of Our Discontent soon. Grapes of Wrath is my favourite book ever!
A discussion I can join! :)I'm just completing this challenge - part way through Steinbeck in Vietnam. I can't remember when I started. Probably a year ago. I couldn't resist reading other authors at the same time, you see.
But good luck with your own project. It's certainly interesting.
BTW, your list is missing The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to The Grapes of Wrath, which is a collection of newspaper articles which led to the Grapes of Wrath, and a shame to miss.
TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY. Read it. Steinbeck non-fiction, ya get to be in Steinbeck's mind for a second
It is top-rate; Steinbeck's journalism at its best. And, reading it, you can see where the passion that led to GoW came from. Flick through some photos of Dorothea Lange while you read Harvest Gypsies...What do you think of In Dubious Battle? On the whole I liked it (but I think it's more subtle than the "anti-Communist" spin it's normally given; the two main characters, the party orgainzers have more than the one-dimension they are usually credited with), though I think some of the sermonizing (I think the discussions with the doctor, IIRC) weaken it as a literary work a little.
I thought that To a God Unknown should be given more attention than it normally is - you can see a lot of Steinbeck there.
I think that it is fairly clear that 'the Party' is the CPUSA. The only other group who it could be is the IWW, CP members would frequently refer to their party as "THE Party". I don't think they *are* the precursors to the Labor Bosses (although I'll admit my knowledge of US Labor history is not as it should be. However, Steinbeck was not opposed to Labor unionization- he saw it as necessary. In GoW Casy comes back as a union man, and in the movie version (which Steinbeck approved of) Tom goes off to become an organizer (IIRC). The book is not anti-union. It is anti-"collective man".
BUT there's more to Jim and Mac than just cynical manipulation: 1) they show courage(it's worth comparing IDB withe the short story "The Raid") 2) they are sincere in their concerns and 3) they are from genuine working class backgrounds. These are not mafiosi (is that the right word).
I agree about To a God Unknown. I'd love to know what he read to influence the paganism of that book.
I knew that his reading list had been published, but didn't know it was online. Thanks for that.I rather suspect - but don't know for sure - that the raid was part of an earlier draft on IDB.
Yes - I looked. Like I said, I didn't know it was online. It is huge. But I'd guess you'd expect a writer to read.
I'm pretty far along in my 3-4 year plan to reread all of Steinbeck's fiction and selected nonfic in the order it was published. Next on the list is East Of Eden.Are any of the rest of you Steinbeck fans also fascinated by the novels of Halldor Laxness? I find Steinbeck and Laxness similar in many ways, although Steinbeck Country (near where I grew up) and Iceland couldn't be much more dissimilar.
I had a similar challenge. I am not reading them all in order but instead just reading them all with Grapes of Wrath last. "They" say its his best work so I must read all his work to see if it is. I will be starting GoW later this week!
@Karen: Steinbeck and Laxness are my two favorite authors, and I like them for many of the same reasons. Laxness is more of a challenge to read because his culture is much different than I'm used to and because he often has a little more difficult style, but he's definitely worth the effort.Driftless by David Rhodes also had its moments that made me think of Steinbeck. Loved that book.
thank you Karen! I have to write an English paper and you have just inspired me with the comment about the poor helping the poor!
I finished Sweet Thursday a few days ago, the latest book in my attempt to re-read Steinbeck's novels and selected nonfiction in chronological order. I'm in the final phases of my quest.
If you have enjoyed cannery row and sweet thursday you might want to check out my group called THE PALACE FLOPHOUSE.
I'm now reading The Short Reign of Pippin IV, so I'm approaching the end of my rereading all of Steinbeck's novels and selected nonfic in chronological order. I'll finish sometime next year.
I've planned to take about three years to reread Steinbeck because I have a lot of other things I want to read. For example, among my reading goals this year was a plan to read several Nobel winners. Fortunately, our Steinbeck counts toward that goal. I read a Steinbeck book every two or three months.
I'm having trouble finding Sea of Cortez on Goodreads. My searches only turn up The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Steinbeck did write a separate book called Sea of Cortez, didn't he?
Sea of Cortez and Log from the Sea of Cortex are the same, except Sea of Cortez included Ed's species list and biological stuff, and the Log doesn't.
Scott wrote: "Sea of Cortez and Log from the Sea of Cortez are the same, except Sea of Cortez included Ed's species list and biological stuff, and the Log doesn't."I found it on Amazon and used the ISBN to find it on Goodreads, which says this:
656 pages
(first published 1941)
original title: The Log from the Sea of Cortez
ISBN 1101148500 (ISBN13: 9781101148501)
The original poster of this thread on his chronological list shows The Log from the Sea of Cortez as having been published in 1951. Goodreads, however, shows it as having been originally published in 1941 and having 288 pages.
So my conclusion is that the OP is wrong about the publication date; and that the difference in the number of pages is due to the addition of Ed Rickett's biological data.
It's odd, though, that Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research can't be found on Goodreads by a search for the title.
Thanks, Scott.
Help me here, Guys: If I'm after a complete collection of Steinbeck, I would need The Log and Sea of Cortez - correct? I have 1st Ed of The Log and looks like I have a new mission to add Sea. Thanks. Hal
The Wikipedia article for The Log of the Sea of Cortez explains pretty much all of it and provides a lot of context.
My library is so good to me. I requested The Log from the Sea of Cortez and they got it for me. Its blurb says this:
In the two years after the 1939 publication of Steinbeck's masterful The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck and his novel increasingly became the center of intense controversy and censorship. In search of a respite from the national stage, Steinbeck and his close friend, biologist Ed Ricketts, embarked on a month long marine specimen-collecting expedition in the Gulf of California, which resulted in their collaboration on the Sea of Cortez. In 1951, after Ricketts' death, Steinbeck reissued his narrative portion of the work in memory of his friend and the inspiration for Cannery Row's "Doc". This exciting day-by-day account of their journey together is a rare blend of science, philosophy, and high-spirited adventure.
Wikipedia says this:
The Log from the Sea of Cortez is the narrative portion of an unsuccessful earlier work, Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research, which was published by Steinbeck and Ricketts shortly after their return from the Gulf of California, and combined the journals of the collecting expedition, reworked by Steinbeck, with Ricketts' species catalogue. After Ricketts' death in 1948, Steinbeck dropped the species catalogue from the earlier work and republished it with a eulogy to his friend added as a foreword.
So, that clears up my confusion.
Thanks Brooks
Karen wrote: "I already mentioned how much I enjoyed reading About Ed Ricketts. Started to read Sea of Cortez and unfortunately, it simply didn't sustain my interest. I found the beauty of Steinbeck's writing sp..."The last part of The Sea of Cortez is about Ed Rickets. I know what you mean about the writing in The Sea of Cortez, it's not typical Steinbeck, if there is such a thing. You should read the last part though. I wish I had read it before reading Cannery Row.
Karen wrote: "I am currently reading East of Eden (1952). I'm absorbed in this story of Adam Trask and his wife Cathy, who have come to settle in CA from CT - another New Englander, reminiscent of To a God Unkno..."
Oh, Karen, you have no idea! Hopefully you haven't seen the movie. You're in for a great ride! Have fun!
Have you read his Grapes of Wrath journal? It's amazing to see him going through the same anxieties--about whether his work is any good, whether his talent had left him, whether he should just give it up-- as those of us who are mere mortal writers.
I finished my challenge a couple weeks ago. I reread, in order of publication, all the novels and most of the nonfiction. I did not reread America and Americans because I read it not all that long ago. Same with the journals for Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden.
I finished Cup of Gold in November 2010. I had planned on around three years but it took just over four.
Reading in chronological order was interesting. I could see him develop as a writer and see his themes develop. I watched him ramp up to his literary peak, then lose some of the fire, though not the skill. I might try something similar with another writer someday. I've read everything by a few writers before, but never in chronological order.
@scottAgree totally - it's fascinating, and really interesting to read a biography alongside.
I read Jane Austen like that (ok - lightweight next to Steinbeck. She only wrote 6 novels). I mean to read Thomas Hardy like that someday, maybe.
I wish that I'd bothered to find this group sooner! My reading goal this year was to read all of John Steinbeck's books (I'm not as interested in essays and dispatches/etc, although I've been reading the journals and screenplays and anything outside of my plan if they can be easily found). I had already read The Grapes of Wrath and The Winter of our Discontent when I started, and right now I'm waiting for his Life in Letters, the Viva Zapata screenplay, and Steinbeck in Vietnam and I'll be finished. My favourites I think are still the ones I had ready before 2016, although I also loved The Pastures of Heaven, Of Mice and Men, Sweet Thursday,The Acts of King Arthur, and the Working Days journal. I was (and still am) bitterly disappointed by East of Eden, and plan on rereading it sometime in the near future to try and see if I can change my own mind about it.
That's quite a feat - to read all of Steinbeck in one year. I've read about half his works or may two thirds, but I've set no timetable. I keep recommending books for my library to acquire, and they keep not acquiring them.I rather liked East of Eden. Of mice and Men, I think, may be my favorite. The Short Reign of Pippin IV being my only disappointment.
If you just joined the group, you'll find that it isn't very active. I think the moderator abandoned it years ago.
Actually I liked Pippin, but it is a little odd. I wasn't so sure about Cup of Gold. OK - it's his first book so I'll cut a little slack - and it has good features. Burning Bright is terribly experimental, or just terrible (IMHO). Apart from the obvious "likes" I loved his short stories - especially Pastures of Heaven and also the Long Valley. I also thought that To a God Unknown was wonderfully good writing.
The short stories are some of my favorites to, especially The Long Valley. To A God Unknown and The Moon Is Down are probably my favorites of the lesser-known books. The only novel I might never read again (I've read it three times now and it's the one book that disappoints me) is Burning Bright.
Scott wrote: "The short stories are some of my favorites to, especially The Long Valley. To A God Unknown and The Moon Is Down are probably my favorites of the lesser-known books. The only novel I might never read again (I've read it three times now and it's the one book that disappoints me) is Burning Bright. I've requested Burning Bright of my library. They used to be pretty good about acquiring requests, but they've changed their policy. Now they will only acquire a book if two people request it. So. I'm waiting...
Ooh that's sucks and is totally stupid of your library Buck. What about inter library loan. Have another library send it to yours.
Aisha wrote: "Ooh that's sucks and is totally stupid of your library Buck. What about inter library loan. Have another library send it to yours."That's a good suggestion, Aisha. Yesterday I checked out two books from the library: The Harvest Gypsies and Steinbeck in Vietnam - Dispatches from the War.
Steinbeck fans
Books mentioned in this topic
The Log from the Sea of Cortez (other topics)The Log from the Sea of Cortez (other topics)
Cup of Gold (other topics)
Steinbeck in Vietnam: Dispatches from the War (other topics)
A few weeks ago I was looking at my pile of unread Steinbeck novels and I decided that it was time to not only read the books on my shelf, but to read all of Steinbeck's published works. Yesterday I launched The John Steinbeck Reading Challenge on my blog. My goal is to start with Cup of Gold and end with Steinbeck in Vietnam: Dispatches from the War.
If anyone is interested in joining me, there's information on my site about how to join the challenge and a few levels you can join at. I'd love to have some fellow Steinbeck fans read along!