John Steinbeck: A Literary Life by Linda Wagner-Martin (review)

The purpose of John Steinbeck: A Literary Life, as with all of the volumes in the Literary Lives series, is to offer a "fascinating" account of the life and career of its title author. The book is divided into twelve chapters, each focusing primarily on a text, or set of texts, within the chronological order of Steinbeck's career. Dedicated to Jackson J. Benson, the author of the definitive biography on Steinbeck, Linda Wagner-Martin's work aims to provide its audience with a casual introduction both to the personal life of John Steinbeck and also to the reception and criticism of the majority of his publications. The preface provides a condensed overview of Steinbeck's literary career, working backward from his Nobel Prize Award toward the end of his career to his early education and writing efforts.

Chapter 1, "Steinbeck and the Short Story," and chapter 2, "Tortilla Flat, the Book of Others," cover the earliest publications in the Steinbeck canon and depict the struggles he faced early in his writing career as he sought to find his own voice, striving to appeal to the hearts as well as the minds of readers. The first half of Chapter 2 is dedicated to the summary and reception of Tortilla Flat. The second half shifts between the plot and structure of The Red Pony and Steinbeck's personal struggles as he dealt with his parents' increasing ill health and as his marriage fell apart. Chapter 3, "Journalism v. Fiction," considers Steinbeck's works following the deaths of his parents. The central aim of this chapter is to show how Steinbeck's writing progressed into the journalistic style that would be central to his later work. This chapter opens with the success of several of the short stories from The Long Valley and then surveys In Dubious Battle, a novel that Wagner-Martin credits as Steinbeck's real foundation and entryway into journalism. The chapter ends with a discussion of the plot and reception of Of Mice and Men.

Chapter 4, "The Grapes of Wrath," begins with a discussion of the journalism Steinbeck wrote for various magazines and newspapers following the completion of Of Mice and Men. It centers on an increasingly tumultuous political climate in the United States. Halfway through the chapter Wagner-Martin turns to The Grapes of Wrath, beginning her discussion by stating the importance of the task Steinbeck set for himself and by highlighting his passion for telling the stories of the Joads and other migrants. The chapter continues with an evaluation of the novel's reception, including a discussion of the disastrous impact of both the writing process and the book's reception in accelerating the breakup of his first marriage. The chapter concludes with a brief mention of Steinbeck's divorce and subsequent foray into war correspondence.

Chapter 5, "The Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research," and Chapter 6, "World War II," both establish Steinbeck's importance as a nonfiction writer. Chapter 5 focuses exclusively on the journey that would become The Sea of Cortez—a journey in which Wagner-Martin believes Steinbeck not only sought to maintain his sanity, but also to legitimatize his love of science. This chapter also includes an overview of the book's reception and Steinbeck's intentions for the narrative. Chapter 6 provides a vignette of how pressured Steinbeck felt to become involved in the Allied war effort—despite the FBI's creation of a file on the author accusing him of being a subversive. This chapter covers three of Steinbeck's World War II projects: the novella The Moon is Down; a profile of Army Air Corps pilots titled Bombs Away!; and his World War II dispatches as a correspondent, Once There Was a War. Only a few details from Steinbeck's personal life are included among the summary and analysis of these texts, including the finalization of his divorce from Carol and his subsequent marriage to Gwyn Conger. Leaving...