The Steinbeck Review #1 - A Valley of Dreams

Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck | Cup of Gold

“The writer must believe that what he is doing is the most important thing in the world. And he must hold onto this illusion, even though he knows it's not true.” ― John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in the city of Salinas, California. The valley of the same name was the focal point of his reality. No matter where he lived, the valley called to him - demanded of him the work of his pen. He explored themes of physical, mental, and spiritual journeys and the vast agricultural mecca of Salinas Valley was a common destination. Steinbeck was compelled to return time and again throughout his life, in his writing, and eventually in death.

A literary genius yet deeply complicated individual, his legacy is rarely disputed. This chronological read-through of the Nobel Laureate’s works will explore each in the order they were originally published, starting with Cup of Gold in 1929 and ending with the posthumously published Steinbeck in Vietnam: Dispatches from the War in 2012. Let us b…