East of Eden

East of Eden is a novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, published in September 1952.

Related Topics:
Novel - Nobel Prize - John Steinbeck - 1952

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Often described as Steinbeck's most ambitious novel, East of Eden brings to life the intricate details of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, and their interwoven stories. The novel was originally addressed to Steinbeck's young sons, Thom and John (then 6 1/2 and 4 1/2 respectively). Steinbeck wanted to describe the Salinas Valley for them in detail: the sights, sounds, smells, and colors.

Related Topics:
Eden - Salinas Valley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

According to his last wife Elaine, he considered this to be a Requiem for himself - his greatest novel ever. Steinbeck states about "East of Eden": "It has everything in it I have been able to learn about my craft or profession in all these years." He further claimed: "I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elaine, in looking back on the year that he worked on the book, said that his work on the novel affected him deeply. Perhaps the best way to put it would be to say that it was the last stage in putting himself back together after the years that had torn him apart.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~