Long Valley is a storybook by John Steinbeck, published in 1938. Stories take place in the Salinas Valley of California, where Steinbeck was born. (Except the last story in the book.) I remember that I had read John Steinbeck last in college. It was good to reread him after such a long time. It is not hard to understand why Steinbeck is such a legendary author.
There are eleven stories in The Long Valley, and I can easily say that I have read at least eight of them with great admiration, and I loved the rest. I think I will not be able to forget the story, especially Johnny Bear, for a long time. Certain scenes are still in my mind with all their colours. In the majority of Steinbeck’s stories, there are dark and very richly rendered exquisite characters. You will find yourself, after a while, thinking about which one to admire most. I especially recommend The Long Valley to story lovers. Enjoy!
The Long Valley
First published in 1938, this volume of stories collected with the encouragement of his longtime editor Pascal Covici serves as a wonderful introduction to the work of Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck. Set in the beautiful Salinas Valley of California, where simple people farm the land and struggle to find a place for themselves in the world, these stories reflect Steinbeck’s characteristic interests: the tensions between town and country, labourers and owners, past and present. Included here are the O. Henry Prize-winning story “The Murder”; “The Chrysanthemums,” perhaps Steinbeck’s most challenging story, both personally and artistically; “Flight,” “The Snake,” “The White Quail,” and the classic tales of “The Red Pony.” With an introduction and notes by John H. Timmerman.
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. was an American author. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception.”
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
