Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters

I am a HUGE fan of John Steinbeck's novel, East of Eden. I read it for the first time in 2008 and feel in love with East of Eden. The writing in East of Eden is exquisite. Suffice it to say that East of Eden by John Steinbeck is one of my all time favorite novels ever written.I learned about Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck shortly after reading East of Eden and I knew that some day I'd have to read Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck as well.Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck is a work of nonfiction and covers each of Steinbeck's working days while writing his novel, East of Eden in 1951.I found reading Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck to be very insightful with regards to his inner thoughts while writing East of Eden as well as insights to his daily life and interests besides writing.Although, I enjoyed reading Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck very much, by no means did I find it to be the perfect read. Steinbeck reiterates many of the same subject matter/topics throughout Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters. For instance, Steinbeck repeatedly talks about writing East of Eden at his own pace and he will not be rushed into writing it faster, the subject of weariness comes up frequently and putting off writing, his angst about writing East of Eden, and several other topics... And sometimes this book seemed a bit dry, but otherwise, Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters by John Steinbeck was a fabulous book to read. Especially, if you are a John Steinbeck fan or simply want to know more about an author's writing process during the time in which he wrote his novel.

Steinbeck wrote the lengthy EAST OF EDEN saga straight through, from January to the first of November, in 1951. Every weekday, he sharpened his beloved pencils, sat down and warmed up, writing in the form of a letter to his friend and publisher, Pascal Covici. The letters he entered on the left side of the manuscript book Covici hand given him; on the right side, after clearing his mind and setting out the days' goals, he'd write his story, averaging about 1,500 words a day. JOURNAL OF A NOVEL collects those daily addresses to Covici, to whom EAST OF EDEN is dedicated.On the one hand, JOURNAL OF A NOVEL is instructive in how to use journaling to order one's demons, to focus and forge ahead. More important, it brings the reader right up to the man, and Steinbeck is a fascinating person to know. At age 48 when he produced this, he is twice divorced, happily remarried a third time, engaged in fatherhood and transplanted to New York. He is a whittler, a tinkerer, an inventor. His credo is, why pay someone to do something badly that he can do just as badly himself. He maintains an active family, professional and social life that he chattily reports and offers some prescient observations on the Marshall Plan and MacArthur. He is not without his depressive cycles, but at this point in his life he is more understanding of them and never lets them interfere with his work. His resolve is extraordinary.It is especially rich to read this following WORKING DAYS, the journal he kept as he wrote THE GRAPES OF WRATH. You get a sense of personal growth and a fuller sense of the middle of the 20th century through his eyes.Highly recommended.

I'm a Steinbeck fan, and the above phrase/title is the title of an article that I recently read in which the author (sorry: I've forgotten her name) states the case for Steinbeck as a writer of advanced conscience in a woefully materialistic and aggressive world. I've spent years avoiding reading East of Eden because of all the bad press given to the bad, bad female character, Cathy. As a woman in a patriarchal world, I did not feel I needed to go out of my way to read more bad press about my sex. The Journal, however, is a startlingly vivid account of the agony and ecstasy of the creative process of a piece of writing, and as such, and because I am a writer, I am now encouraged - perhaps obliged - to read East of Eden. Steinbeck inevitably tackled 'difficult' subject matter, and inevitably took his work to a deeper level than the majority of his critics, privileged patriarchs all, were able to acknowledge: I look forward to dipping into East of Eden, guided now by my copy of the Journal.

John Steinbeck is and always has been one of my favorite authors. More than just writing to Pascal, I find this book to be like reading a sort of Rilke's Letter to the Young Poet. Steinbeck isn't, I feel, trying to tell anyone how to write. Many times it seems like that is the question that he himself is struggling with. As a form of entertainment, how can following the day to day of one of our literary greats not be entertaining? But as a guidebook for writers, well... this is one that probably should be on the bookshelf.

My only regret about reading this was that I should have read it when the memories of "East of Eden" were fresher.John Steinbeck's writing is truly wonderful & even the everyday notes to his publisher told a great story. He talked of developing characters, his plans to write for a certain number of hours to get the book finished on time, the dramas with pencils he used & sending off his work as he went along. There were also stories of what was going on at home with visitors, the boys ups & downs & the joy of his family around him. A wonderful autobiography but also shows the discipline & effort that went into writing his masterpeice, "East of Eden"

This is one of my favorite books. It is a collection of letters written by John Steinbeck to his editor, Pascal Covici, during the writing of "East of Eden." Steinbeck was a prolific letter writer (a much larger collection os his letters is also available) and this small collection is a wonderful insight into his mindset when writing the book. I like reading this book along with reading "East of Eden" itself. It's like being in his head while he is deciding what to write and why.

Used this fr reach.

Gave me so much insight into Steinbeck as a man and into his writing process. I read this cover to cover and was enthralled. I loved the letter he wrote to his editor which is included at the end. From this you will get an idea of his style and thoughts, and he's anticipating (correctly) the critical reaction to East of Eden. This is an extract from the tongue in cheek letter to Pat. These are ways in which he's heard his reader described:THE READERHe is so stupid you can't trust him with an idea.He is so clever he will catch you in the least error.He will not buy short books.He will not buy long books.He is part moron, part genius and part ogre.There is some doubt as to whether he can read.Well, by God, Pat, he's just like me, no stranger at all. He'll take from my book what he can bring to it. The dull witted will get dullness and the brilliant may find things in my book I didn't know were there.And just as he is like me, I hope my book is enough like him so that he may find in it interest and recognition and some beauty as one finds in a friend.Cervantes ends his prologue with a lovely line. I want to use it, Pat, and then I will be done. He says to the reader:"May God give you health—and may He be not unmindful of me, as well."John SteinbeckI very much agree with the part about the dull witted and the brilliant and let me end by saying that this book was like a friend to me at a difficult time in my life and I've been very grateful for it. If you are a writer, buy it. If you're a reader who is interested in how writers write, buy it. A wonderful book. I now need to read the novel!

I’ve just received the book. The printing and the typesetting is of a poor quality, with the alignment varying quite widely from one page to another. The paper feels cheap. I wouldn’t expect this from Penguin. It looks like a counterfeit book to me.

East of Eden is my favourite Steinbeck novel, and this gives a fantastic insight into the writer's life while he was writing it, including family distractions, his worries and frustrations with the writing process, and treats such as possible titles the author was considering before East of Eden,

It is interesting to have further insights into Steinbeck's thinking while he was writing 'East of Eden'; the Journal is a good thing to read before you try to read East of Eden for a second time.

Good product and service.