John Steinbeck

     I just watched the A & E biography of John Steinbeck.  Such a brilliant, sensitive man.  The Grapes of Wrath pretty much made him a household name.  The people back home in Salinas, however, made him a pariah for calling landowners "greedy."  In his later years, when he was nominate for the Nobel Prize, the world rejoiced, everyone, that is, except the critics, who continued to say Steinbeck was sentimental.  After that, Steinbeck never wrote another word of fiction.

     Instead, he turned to Hollywood, writing scripts like East of Eden, after his book of the same name.  By that time, had grown to hate his second wife, who had told him she'd never loved him, and that the son they had together probably wasn't his.  Some of the things she said were untrue, however, Steinbeck was deeply wounded.;

     Steinbeck's son, Thom, said the book mirrored their family life. In the book, the mother shoots her husband, opening up a world of angst for their son.  East of Eden had James Dean in  the starring role.

     Late in life, Steinbeck had the desire to cleanse his soul and decided to write a travelogue called Travels With Charlie.  Charlie was his large black poodle, who became one of the best known dogs in literature.

     After Steinbeck's death in 1968, his hometown decided to build a museum in his honor.  Steinbeck would have preferred a "moderately priced brothal," or a bowling alley named after him.  The Steinbeck museum cost 10 million dollars.   Today, Steinbeck is the most respected American author.

     You can view the documentary here --  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i2CDqBo9VU  (45 minutes)