{"title":"John Steinbeck","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"of-mice-and-men","title":"Of Mice and Men","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in 1937, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOf Mice and Men\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows George Milton and Lennie Small, two itinerant ranch workers travelling through California during the Great Depression. Bound by an unlikely friendship, the pair move from one temporary job to another, holding on to a shared dream of owning a small piece of land where they might finally live independently. When they arrive at a ranch near Soledad, their hopes encounter the suspicions, loneliness and quiet cruelties of a world in which the vulnerable have little protection. George’s sharp intelligence and Lennie’s immense strength, gentle nature and limited understanding make their companionship both tender and precarious.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWritten with remarkable economy, Steinbeck’s novella explores friendship, isolation, dignity and the fragile promise of the American Dream. Its spare dialogue, carefully shaped scenes and dramatic intensity give the story the force of a modern tragedy, while its attention to migrant labourers places it firmly within the social literature of Depression-era America. One of Steinbeck’s most enduring works, it anticipates the larger portrait of dispossession and economic hardship he would develop in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Grapes of Wrath\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— John Steinbeck, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOf Mice and Men\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOf Mice and Men\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“A grand little book, for all its ultimate melodrama.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Ralph Thompson, The New York Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64184437047626,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"east-of-eden","title":"East of Eden","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in September 1952, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEast of Eden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is John Steinbeck’s sweeping portrait of two families whose lives unfold across generations in California’s Salinas Valley. At its centre are the Trasks, whose rivalries and inheritances echo the biblical story of Cain and Abel, and the Hamiltons, drawn in part from Steinbeck’s own family history. As the fortunes of the families intertwine, the novel moves between the intimate dramas of parents and children, the uneasy bonds between brothers, and the enduring struggle to understand the nature of good and evil. Among its unforgettable figures are the troubled Adam Trask, his sons Cal and Aron, the formidable Cathy Ames, and Lee, whose intelligence and moral insight give the story much of its philosophical depth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSteinbeck regarded this expansive novel as the culmination of his life’s work, bringing together the social observation of his earlier fiction with a profound meditation on free will, responsibility, love and the possibility of redemption. Its biblical framework gives the story an almost mythic scale, while its richly observed characters remain rooted in the landscapes and communities of twentieth-century America. Both an intimate family saga and a searching inquiry into human nature, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEast of Eden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e stands among the most ambitious and personal achievements of Steinbeck’s career.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— John Steinbeck, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEast of Eden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEast of Eden\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“John Steinbeck, the philosopher, dominates his material and brings it into sharply moral focus.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64184455364938,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"the-grapes-of-wrath","title":"The Grapes of Wrath","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in April 1939, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Grapes of Wrath\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e follows the Joad family as they leave their drought-stricken farm in Oklahoma and travel west along Route 66 in search of work and a better life in California. Led by the steadfast Ma Joad and accompanied by her son Tom, recently released from prison, the family joins thousands of displaced farmers driven from their land by the Dust Bowl and the economic collapse of the Great Depression. Their journey towards the promised orchards of California instead reveals a world of poverty, exploitation and hostility, where the hope of a fresh beginning is continually tested.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMoving between the intimate story of the Joads and broader, lyrical chapters that speak for an entire dispossessed people, Steinbeck creates a powerful portrait of hardship, solidarity and resistance. The novel is both a work of social protest and an enduring meditation on human dignity, collective responsibility and the possibility of hope in the face of injustice. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940, it became one of the defining American novels of the twentieth century and remains among Steinbeck’s most consequential achievements.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— John Steinbeck, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Grapes of Wrath\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Grapes of Wrath\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“This is the sort of book that stirs one so deeply that it is almost impossible to attempt to convey the impression it leaves.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Kirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64184494227786,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"cannery-row","title":"Cannery Row","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst published in 1945, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is set in the faded waterfront district of Monterey, California, where sardine factories stand alongside boarding houses, vacant lots and small shops. Its inhabitants include Mack and his band of amiable drifters, Lee Chong, the resourceful local grocer, Dora Flood, who runs the Bear Flag Restaurant, and Doc, a marine biologist whose curiosity and kindness draw the neighbourhood together. When Mack and his companions decide to organise a party in Doc’s honour, their well-intentioned plans set in motion a series of comic mishaps, revealing the fragile loyalties and unexpected generosity that bind this unlikely community.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLess concerned with conventional plot than with the rhythms of everyday life, Steinbeck creates a tender, unsentimental portrait of people living beyond the margins of respectable society. The novel’s affection for its outsiders is balanced by a keen awareness of loneliness, failure and the delicate interdependence of all living things, reflected in Doc’s observations of the tide pools. Inspired in part by Steinbeck’s close friend, the marine biologist Ed Ricketts, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is among his most intimate and playful works, a companion in spirit to \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTortilla Flat\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and a distinctive celebration of human fellowship.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrom the book\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Lee Chong is more than a Chinese grocer. He must be.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— John Steinbeck, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCannery Row\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“It is one of the least pretentious of his books, but I believe that it is the one I have most enjoyed reading.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e— Edmund Wilson, The New Yorker\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardner's EU","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64184513003850,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}]}],"url":"https:\/\/thelamppostparis.com\/fr\/collections\/john-steinbeck.oembed","provider":"The Lamp-Post Library \u0026 Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}