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BACKGROUND
April 14, 1989
was the 50th anniversary of the publication of John Steinbeck's
The Grapes of Wrath.
The
novel illustrates the diginity and spirit of man in desperate circumstances.
It follows the fictional Joad family on their journey from Oklahoma's
�dust bowl� of the 1930's to the �promised land�
of California. The Joads, like hundreds of thousands of farmers
and sharecroppers in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and other states,
were driven off the land during the �dust bowl� and Depression.
- Won
the 1940 Pulitzer Prize.
- Was
the cornerstone of Steinbeck's 1962 Nobel Prize.
- Translated
into nearly every language of the world. Is an accepted masterpiece
of world literature. Considered one of the most enduring works
of fiction by an American author.
- 200,000
words.
- In
the past 50 years, the novel has sold more than 14 million copies.
It still sells 100,000 paperback copies a year.
- Manuscript
of the book was written in the house on Greenwood Lane, Monte
Sereno, a suburb of Los Gatos, CA. June-October, 1938. Carol,
Steinbeck's first wife, did the typing and came up with the title.
Steinbeck
kept a journal while writing The Grapes of Wrath. It recently
was published as Working Day: The Journals of �The Grapes
of Wrath,� edited by Robert DeMott.
The
novel was controversial when it was published. Banned in certain
places inthe United States, it was burned twice in Salinas.
Steinbeck
was extremely angry about the plight of the migrant workers. He
knew the conditions in the camps and had seen the people suffering.
He saw people starving in Visalia. The author made four trips to
the migrants, getting to know the people. He learned their speech
patterns, reactions, expressions and stories first-hand.
One
of the precursors of The Grapes of Wrath was a series of
seven articles written for the San Francisco News. The
series, called The Harvest Gypsies, was published later
as a pamphlet entitled, �Their Blood is Strong.�
Would
you like to buy a copy of The Grapes of Wrath?
Visit the National Steinbeck Center Museum
Store!
- Compiled
by Pauline Pearson
June 5, 1990
Revised 6/95
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