Taking A Closer Look At John Steinbeck

Manifest What you Want, Whenever you Want....

When looking at a list of names of some of the greatest writers of the 20th century, one of the names that will be most familiar to people – even to people who do not regularly read – is John Steinbeck, but because of the vast number of books that Steinbeck wrote (some of which, quite frankly, are not that highly regarded), it can be difficult to know where to begin when reading Steinbeck. Here are three books to consider reading if you are wanting to get to know Steinbeck, as these three books will give you a good idea of who Steinbeck was as a writer, and of what he hoped to accomplish.

The Grapes of Wrath, which some believe to be the “Great American novel,” was not only Steinbeck's most well-known work, but is one of the most well-known works in the history of American literature; this book is long and, in the view of some, somewhat imposing, but if you take the time to read it you will certainly be happy that you did, as you will have enjoyed one of the great works to have come out of the last hundred years, while also getting to know Steinbeck extremely well.

Steinbeck published the novel East of Eden about 15 years after The Grapes of Wrath was published; in recent years, the interest in this book has risen, and many people feel that it is an even better work than The Grapes of Wrath – and certainly, it is a more mature version of Steinbeck's writing, with a story that has a very similar feel.

And one of the main reasons why Steinbeck has so many books listed in his bibliography is because he was as well known for his short novellas as he was for his lengthy novels. One of his best short works – and certainly his most well-known – was a little gem called Of Mice and Men, and once you read this, you will finally have a full understanding of the poignancy and power of Steinbeck's works.