I learned about Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck shortly after reading East of Eden and I knew that some day I'd have to read Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck as well.
Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck is a work of nonfiction and covers each of Steinbeck's working days while writing his novel, East of Eden in 1951.
I found reading Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck to be very insightful with regards to his inner thoughts while writing East of Eden as well as insights to his daily life and interests besides writing.
Although, I enjoyed reading Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck very much, by no means did I find it to be the perfect read. Steinbeck reiterates many of the same subject matter/topics throughout Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters. For instance, Steinbeck repeatedly talks about writing East of Eden at his own pace and he will not be rushed into writing it faster, the subject of weariness comes up frequently and putting off writing, his angst about writing East of Eden, and several other topics... And sometimes this book seemed a bit dry, but otherwise, Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck was a fabulous book to read. Especially, if you are a John Steinbeck fan or simply want to know more about an author's writing process during the time in which he wrote his novel.
The following is a blurb about Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck from Amazon:
Each working day from January 29 to November 1, 1951, John Steinbeck warmed up to the work of writing East of Eden with a letter to the late Pascal Covici, his friend and editor at The Viking Press. It was his way, he said, of "getting my mental arm in shape to pitch a good game."
Steinbeck's letters were written on the left-hand pages of a notebook in which the facing pages would be filled with the test of East of Eden. They touched on many subjects—story arguments, trial flights of workmanship, concern for his sons.
Part autobiography, part writer's workshop, these letters offer an illuminating perspective on Steinbeck's creative process, and a fascinating glimpse of Steinbeck, the private man.I am giving Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.
Until next post, happy reading!!
I've read Grapes of Wrath, The Pearl, and Mice and Men but not East of Eden. I really need to read it. I've heard so many great things about it.
ReplyDeleteI've read both The Pearl and Of Mice & Men to many years go in high school and would love to reread them.
DeleteI haven't read The Grapes of Wrath though. There's also a book out there of Steinbeck's letters/journal he kept while writing The Grapes of Wrath, that would make for interesting reading.
I didn't know about this Steinbeck journal being in print. I too love East of Eden and Steinbeck. I read a huge biography of him (http://keepthewisdom.blogspot.com/2013/11/john-steinbeck-writer.html) and remember that he went through a lot of angst while writing the book. He considered it his biggest most important novel.
ReplyDeleteYes, Steinbeck did indeed consider East of Eden to be his most important work. And yes, he had a lot of angst in writing it to some degree.
Delete