Conversations with John Steinbeck

by Thomas C. Fensch, John Steinbeck

Conversations with John Steinbeck contains all the public interviews Steinbeck gave during his life. His life, it seems in retrospect, can be seen in three his early life in his native state of California; the war years of the 1940s, and the years thereafter.

In the earliest interviews in this collection, his is seen actually hiding from publicity, living in and near Monterey Bay, California, as he struggled to become established as a writer.

Later, the publication of The Grapes of’ Wrath , in 1939, became extremely controversial; he left the country for a time to escape the unceasing demands of’ the press and the public. The Grapes of Wrath is now generally considered the definitive novel of Depression-era America and is still widely read. Interviews in this collection show him dealing with two failed marriages before a successful third marriage; moving from one writing project to another, dealing with fame and controversy and traveling. These collected interviews offer a unique portrait of a major twentieth-century novelist at work and throughout his life. John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

Genres: Nonfiction

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

i know he packin

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, moving, and deeply personal, these interviews, which ironically did not say much on their own, spoke volumes about a great man. I've always felt that John Steinbeck was more than a writer--he was a friend, and it was wonderful to take the time to learn a little more about my friend. He's a dear, dear man and I really wish I could have known him in person. Still, I feel like this book has brought me a couple of steps closer.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know something about America's greatest author but don't the the time or attention span for a full-on biography, this is the book for you.

Steinbeck was a shy man and, despite his ongoing moonlighting as a journalist himself, he didn't much care for the press. So it's nice to have this collection of interviews with the author combined into one volume, showing the progression of his career from when he was first deemed worthy of coverage to very near the end of his life. I didn't learn much of anything new, but it was good to read Steinbeck's own answers to questions I've seen biographers raise.

It's short, it's very easy to read, and it's John Steinbeck. Of course I recommend it.

[Jill Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of the "Conversations with..." collection I have read and I really enjoyed it. I picked this up somewhere and thought it might be interesting - I had never been much of a John Steinbeck fan after the dreaded high school readings but had recently reread those works and found a new found appreciation for him. After reading this the appreciation has grown deeper.

I can't wait to order some of the others and see how they compare to this one.

[Steven Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting to see what made this introverted writer tick. If you are into Steinbeck's writing, read this book; if you are not so enthusiastic on John Steinbeck, you would find these interviews seriously boring.

[Gregory Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful tool to understand this literary giant

A longtime fan of his works, this book greatly helped me to understand Steinbeck's approaches and personality. A wonderful writer, a great man.

[Millions · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love Steinbeck, this is a lovely collection of some personal interactions with him. I liked seeing a younger Steinbeck than the one typically reflected in his later writings.

[David Norwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for Steinbeck fans.