John Steinbeck by Keith Ferrell

Author:Keith Ferrell
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781590773598
Publisher: M. Evans & Company

SIXTHE GRAPES OF WRATH

BY FEBRUARY 1937, THERE seemed to Steinbeck a good chance that he and Carol would become wealthy as a result of Of Mice and Men. The novel had been selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club, a sign that it would appeal to large numbers of readers. Covici had done a good job of promoting the book before publication as well. At first glance the story seemed too slight to be an important piece of fiction, but Covici had put out the word that John Steinbeck had written a masterpiece of simplicity. In a small frame, Steinbeck told a large story. That story’s background—economic conditions, the life of the migrant, farming, the land itself—was implied by Steinbeck in a handful of paragraphs scattered through the book like stage directions. Everything else was in the foreground of the novel, all dialogue and movement. Interest in the dramatic rights to Of Mice and Men began to mount before the book was published. Covici increased the size of the first printing and still had to return to press quickly to print enough copies to meet demand. Of Mice and Men was published in March, and within its first few weeks sold more than a hundred thousand copies. Dramatic rights were acquired for a large sum. The play was set to open in the fall, under the supervision of George S. Kaufman, perhaps the brightest name in American theater at the time.

Steinbeck was stunned. He claimed that he could not comprehend wealth beyond the few dollars he might have in his pockets at any given time. He feared that money would disrupt his life, perhaps beyond repair. Along with the money came increasing celebrity. Already he was being recognized on the streets of San Francisco. The attention sickened him. His mail increased daily; there was no hope of answering it all. The changes in his life affected his work. “L’Affaire Lettuceberg” was giving Steinbeck great difficulty. He could not bring the book under control. Steinbeck wanted to write movingly about the plight of the migrants, a big book with a big theme. Instead, he found himself producing a short satire, bitter and sophomoric. Finally he put the manuscript aside. Wealth might cause problems, but at least he could now afford to indulge his love of travel. He could get away from his desk. In April, Steinbeck and Carol sailed to New York on board a freighter.

The attention Steinbeck had begun to attract in San Francisco was nothing compared to the reception he found in New York. John Steinbeck was a famous man. He was no star on the order of a motion picture actress or a baseball player, but as a successful novelist Steinbeck was beset with requests for autographs, photographs, interviews. He did not tolerate the requests with good grace. Steinbeck carried a bottle of liquor to a press conference and during the questioning drank openly from it. He wanted to show his contempt for the press but ended up only creating more notoriety for himself Carol was drinking heavily as well.

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