[Essays of My Heart]

Why do I diligently read the novels of John Steinbeck?

Solti

John Steinbeck (1902–1968) was a prominent American novelist, playwright, essayist, and short story writer. His notable works include "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath." He wrote a series of short stories depicting the challenging lives of migrant workers centered around Monterey, California. In 1940, he won the Pulitzer Prize for "Grapes of Wrath," and in 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Steinbeck published a total of 30 books, including "Tortilla Flat," portraying the lives of unemployed individuals near Monterey; "The Grapes of Wrath," narrating the struggles of a farm family migrating to California during the Great Depression; and "Of Mice and Men," depicting the efforts of two itinerant ranch workers to survive. Many of Steinbeck's works revolve around the hardships of Americans during the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression. As a journalist, he drew inspiration from his work, providing a unique perspective on the challenging lives of low-income Americans.

The publication years and summaries of the 13 works I have read from Steinbeck's 30 published books are as follows:

1932: "The Pastures of Heaven" A collection of twelve interconnected stories about people living in the valleys near Monterey, California, later becoming significant in his later works.

1935: "Tortilla Flat" Stories about the lives of unemployed individuals living near Monterey, Steinbeck's first major success.

1937: "Of Mice and Men" The story of two migrant farmworkers seeking employment in California during the Great Depression, often subjected to censorship due to its use of coarse and offensive language.

1937: "The Red Pony Stories" A novel describing episodes serialized in magazines from 1933 to 1936, centered around a boy living on a California ranch and his beloved horse.

1938: "The Long Valley" A collection of twelve short stories written over several years, set in California's Salinas Valley, including the first "The Red Pony Stories."

1939: "The Grapes of Wrath" The story of a poor immigrant family from Oklahoma and their efforts to settle in California, Steinbeck's most well-known novel and a Pulitzer Prize and other literary awards winner.

1942: "The Moon Is Down" The story of a small coastal village in northern Europe invaded by an unknown army during World War II, considered a fictional expression of Nazi occupation of Norway.

1945: "Cannery Row" A story about the residents of a small California town throwing a party for their friend, Doc, who lives alone.

1947: "The Pearl" The story of a giant pearl bringing misfortune to a family of pearl divers, based on Mexican folklore.

1951: "The Log from the Sea of Cortez" Steinbeck's personal log from a six-week expedition with marine biologist Ed Ricketts in the Gulf of California in 1941, published in 1951.

1952: "East of Eden" A novel depicting two families in the Salinas Valley over two decades in the early 20th century, based on Steinbeck's own family history.

1962: "Travels with Charley: In Search of America" Steinbeck's travelogue detailing his journey across the United States with his dog, Charley, in a camper he built himself.

1966: "America and Americans" A collection of various articles Steinbeck wrote during his career as a journalist.

(Reference: Complete List of John Steinbeck's Books

Source URL:// https://www.thoughtco.com/john-steinbeck-list-of-works-741494)

My attraction to Steinbeck's novels and the reasons for consistently reading them during my spare time stem from several factors. Since early 2020, I have been reading Steinbeck's works in earnest due to his awareness of social justice, critical examination of human greed, denunciation of social injustices, candid and detailed portrayal of human psychological inner workings, beautiful descriptions and praises of nature in America, and his unique perspectives on the characters, situations, and backgrounds encountered in his works. The rich vocabulary and concise style he employs are also appealing, exposing me to diverse words used differently depending on the setting and characters in each work. While reading, I make an effort to understand essential words in the context without looking up every unfamiliar term, enhancing my grasp of the language.

Reading Steinbeck intensively aims to deepen my understanding of American culture. Feedback from my American friends indicated that his works are widely popular in the United States, with Steinbeck representing the West, Mark Twain the Midwest, and Ernest Hemingway the East. Through literary and colloquial expressions in his novels, I seek to expand and enrich my vocabulary and expressive capabilities in the English language.

One of the sources of strength that kept me consistently reading his novels one by one without feeling weary is the nostalgia for Salinas, his hometown, located very close to where my family lived for a while. Through his novels, I could naturally and intriguingly sense the ambiance, culture, history, and nature of Salinas, providing an ongoing source of enjoyment and motivation for continuous reading. Since high school, when I first read his work "The Pearl" during an English class, I have harbored a vague dream of eventually reading all of his works in the original language and savoring the deep impressions they leave.

Attempting to utilize fragments of time during vacations or weekends more efficiently, I aspire to continue my goal-oriented reading, slightly escaping from the mundane and monotonous rural life in the United States.

As I gradually read more of his works, I developed a new personal motivation to translate his short stories, particularly those not yet translated into Korean. As an experiment, I completed the translation of "The Chrysanthemums," considered one of his challenging short stories, in May 2020. After reading each work, I write reflections in both English and Korean on my blog (https://www.ktown1st.com/blog/valover). Notably, my reflection on "The Moon Is Down" was also published in the LA Korean Daily, coinciding with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I plan to continue reading the remaining 17 works by Steinbeck. If I achieve this, I anticipate consolidating all my reflections and overall impressions into a modest book, expressing my eagerness for the outcome. ***

한국어 번역: 

https://www.ktown1st.com/blog/VALover/343686

https://www.ktown1st.com/blog/VALover/343687