Steinbeck

[H. Caulfeild]

just finished some of his stories, and i thoroughly enjoyed them all. Cannery Row, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, The Pearland one other i can't remember, i think it's the longest night, or something like that...i love the chapters in Grapes where he narrates, especially the chapter where he is speaking like the car dealer, amazing...other thoughts?

[eflo]

I am actually reading Of Mice and Men right now. So far, I have really been enjoying it. How did you like The Grapes of Wrath? I've heard so many good things about it, but for some reason or another...I have always been intimidated by it. I'm also afraid to purchase it because it has taken me so long to finally pick up Of Mice and Men and stick with it.

[Jezebel]

I enjoyed Of Mice and Men but this is the only Steinbeck book I have read so far. How did you like Cannery Row? My copy of Of Mice and Men is actually a "two books in one" with OMaM and Cannery Row.

[oceanflower]

My daughter is reading Of Mice and Men for a high school literature class, and I'm reading (re-reading) it with her. Steinbeck doesn't waste any time in drawing one completely into the story. He's a master of descrpition, painting vivid pictures in one's mind, and conveying the mood of the scene he's describing. I'm savoring every word like I would a box of decadent chocolates.

[Star_Anise]

I read Grapes of Wrath in college and remember I didn't particularly like it, but my taste has changed since then, so maybe I'll revisit it at some stage. Good story, very emotional, but beyond that, my memory fails me.

[Scheherazade]

I read Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men in English, both of which I loved. Steinbeck's observations are brutal yet poetic; he is one of those writers who can describe a tree for pages but without boring the reader, in my opinion.

I also read Cannery Row (not in English) but now I realise that I was far too young to appreciate it truly when I read it. I will read it again sometime.

I don't think any other modern American writers deal with human misery and strength on face of such as good as Steinbeck.

[H. Caulfeild]

thinking about it, Cannery Row and Grapes of Wrath are my two favorite, he has a subtle way of description, where you're placed in the setting without complicated descriptions. if you read Grapes again, watch for the chapter where the car salesman is narrating, i was speechless after reading that one chapter. still haven't read Of Mice and Men yet but i'm planning to...

I read Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men in English, both of which I loved. Steinbeck's observations are brutal yet poetic; he is one of those writers who can describe a tree for pages but without boring the reader in my opinion
ummm...ditto

[REM_1979]

I love Steinbeck. I mean, he's one of my favorite authors. His Grapes of Wrath has sustained me through many a tough time - odd, isn't it? Because that book is full of depressing images of man in the throes of the Dust Bowl era. Growing up in California, Steinbeck got to see a lot in his life (not unlike Hemingway) and he wrote from experiences as a stevedore (I believe) and manual laborer himself. I believe at one point he picked fruit of some kind just as they do in Grapes of Wrath.

Steinbeck is so good at drawing you into the story in Grapes. The part where he talks about Tom Joad and portrays him as a hard man with brand new clothes, and the very smug man assumes where Tom has been - that is such a good way of drawing you into the story. First, he shows Tom at some roadside place, then the man picks him up in the truck, then they start talking and before you know it Tom is threatening him - action! Can someone say exciting?

So I can't see how Grapes is not a good book. Haven't read Of Mice and Men but the Gary Sinise movie version (with John Malkovich as Lenny) is great! Have read The Pearl and the Red Pony. I want to read The Winter of Our Discontent next. And maybe Canney Row and the Moon is Down someday.

Here are my most respected American writers: Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner, Robert Frost, and Bradbury. Updike is pretty good too.

Currently reading: Galileo's Daughter (by Dava Sobel) and Little House on the Prairie (by Laura Ingalls Wilder - for the first time)

[Morty]

Steinbeck is underrated. Undeservingly so. I'd strongly recommend you read The Winter of our Discontent, it's a remarkable portrayal of a man, a very humorous and sympathetic man, who is the only person in his community, and most importantly his family, quite content with being relatively poor. It is an excellent work; that which won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. If you like works such as Bellow's Herzog or McEwan's Saturday, I think this is especially good.

Steinbeck's essays are also quite interesting. There's a collection from Penguin called Men and their Making which includes pieces on Arthur Miller, America, Communism and so forth. Worth checking out.

[BLUE BABY]

I have read "Grapes Of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. And I was impressed by his writings. I would recommend these two books to all of you here.

[mazarane]

I thought Of Mice and Men was pretty good, though we studied in school and that takes some of the life out of most books. I'd definitely like to read The Grapes of Wrath

[incka]

I read an extract from one of his essays recently, his analysis of the great depression, I really enjoyed it.

[Rain]

Steinbeck is underrated.

Well, I don't know about that. He is, after all, considered one of the greatest American authors of all time. He's won the Pulitzer and the Nobel, but anyhow...

The only of his books I've read is The Grapes of Wrath, which I loved. Hopefully on to East of Eden soon.

Ug, what a meaningless post I've made here...I'm in a lazy mood. :embarrass

[BLUE BABY]

Personally I feel that he has protrayed the dilemmas and the sufferings of those lower-class workers during the major economic crisis like the Great Depression well, especially in the "Grapes of Wrath". For those who have not read it, why not give it a try. MAZARANE, why don't you make it the next novel you are going to read.

[AnnaKonda]

I loved everything I've read by Steinbeck so far, except "Tortilla Flat." That book seemed to be plain old racist. Maybe I didn't get the true meaning behind the story, but the way Steinbeck depicts the Mexicans is simply one-dimensional.
Besides the well-known books discussed in this thread, there is a lesser known one that I personally enjoyed very much: "To A God Unknown." Also his short story "The Chrysanthemums" is a good read. "Der Moerder" (Sorry, I have only the German title of it) is a graphic description of male "superiority" gone awry.
I love Steinbeck's symbolism. For instance, in "The Chrysanthemums" the woman, although disguised as a man, is clearly confined to her own world within the male world of farming. Steinbeck, in my opinion, is one of the few writers who use symbolism abundantly without letting it get out of hand. One of the great writers!

[violetvanilla]

Excuse me, but where can I find the book Grapes of Wrath on the internet since I cannot buy it. After reading Of mice and men I am very anxious to read the Grapes of Wrath!

[oceanflower]

Excuse me, but where can I find the book Grapes of Wrath on the internet since I cannot buy it. After reading Of mice and men I am very anxious to read the Grapes of Wrath!

www.amazon.com

[Maduro_Scotty]

just finished some of his stories, and i thoroughly enjoyed them all. Cannery Row, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, The Pearland one other i can't remember, i think it's the longest night, or something like that...i love the chapters in Grapes where he narrates, especially the chapter where he is speaking like the car dealer, amazing...other thoughts?

The car dealer dialogue is really something else. He did an excellent job of getting into character and learning about the twang of the native people. I'm reminded a lot of Twain in that regard. Not every author can pass that off. I also enjoyed the pastor who made quite a few philosophical statements, reminded me a lot of existential theory in that regard. I also enjoyed Tom Joad's character and really got excited about the part where they are in camp and he decides to run off and help the strikers, no matter how questionable his move might be for him in terms of having a solid future.

The only other work I've read of his The Moon is Down. He wrote that one as a propaganda piece to be distributed in occupied europe. He caught a lot of flak for it as he humanized the nazi soldiers as liking poetry, being in love, and being likable people in general. People were expecting WWI references to some Attila the Hun drawing with babes hanging from his bayonet. The book speaks to the innate desire for freedom and was very dangerous in that regard. The nazis fretted endlessly about it and being caught with a copy would seal one's fate. The influence of the book has only recently come to light. While he doesn't mention specifics, you can definitely apply it to any aggressor who settles amongst the conquered....and discovers that the natives develop an antagonistic reslessness. Amazing how literature stretches across time. :D