John Steinbeck (1902–1968)

Don't come to "Cannery Row" looking for plot. It went out with the tide. But what you WILL find, washed up on shore and drying in the salty sunlight, is some damn fine writing about urges, misplaced urges, and the crowning satisfaction of love: love for men, women, and starfish. John Steinbeck is a master of the finely-tuned sentence. "Cannery Row" is as packed with them as your average tin of sardines. Here are characters you'll never forget, including Doc, Dora and Mack--the driving forces behind Steinbeck's marvelous little book.… (more)

The Penguin Modern series is a collection of slim, short books that you could fit in a scrubs-sized pocket or small bag. They have selected writings from well known authors and are also really cheap (about $2.50 AUD). Of course it was a no brainer to pick up the Steinbeck edition.

All three of these short stories come from The Long Valley, and pack an emotional punch, much like Steinbeck’s novels. The first is about mob violence as a Black man is taken from gaol and killed. It’s unsettling in its context and the juxtaposition of the feelings of the main character versus the bartender he meets afterwards. The Snake is about a researcher who finds an odd young woman with a fascination for snakes in his laboratory. It too is unsettling in that it’s hard to for the protagonist to understand what the woman wants and why, which unnerves him and the reader. The final story, The Chrysanthemums, was my favourite. It’s about a lonely woman living on a farm who meets a travelling salesman and falls for his flattery in order to get her to utilise his services. The sense of loneliness and loss echoed through this one, particularly given the setting during the Depression of the 1930s.

Steinbeck’s writing is particularly moving as always, creating images in short sentences. I didn’t quite care for his short stories as much as I do his novels and essays, I prefer to enjoy his works in a longer format where you can get into the depths of issues. Still, this was a sound quick read for a lazy afternoon.

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3 stars

I find this hard to review as I don’t know whether this is exactly like the Mexican fable or his own version.
I can see how this is meant to be a warning about being greedy and always wanting more than you have but seriously, if you are impoverished, and the opportunity to lift yourself out of poverty lands in your lap, why wouldn’t you do it? The true meaning is that others will be envious and covet what you have, be careful who you trust, the rich hoard their wealth. There’s also domestic abuse, misogyny and racism in this. It was incredibly depressing.… (more)