Beschreibung:

STEINBECK, JOHN. 1902-1968. Autograph Manuscript, an early draft of the "Preface" to The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, collected as "My Short Novels," 4 pp (lacking final leaf), folio, [c.1953], in pencil on yellow foolscap, lower left corner bumped to all leaves, toning at extremities.
"... ALL OF [MY NOVELS] HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTS. THAT IS WHY NO TWO ARE REMOTELY ALIKE."
In 1953 Steinbeck was convinced by Viking to reissue his shorter novels— The Red Pony, Tortilla Flat, Of Mice and Men, The Moon is Down, Cannery Row and The Pearl — in an anthology format. He begins here, "I have never written a preface to one of my books before believing that the work should stand on its own feet even if its ankles were slightly wobbly. When I was asked to comment on the five short novels of this volume, my first impulse was to refuse. And then, thinking over the things that have happened to these stories since they were written, I was taken with the idea that the things that happen to a book are very like those that happen to a man." Steinbeck describes how personal each book is, how the work is all absorbing, and when it is complete it is like a little death, but then a new book begins, and the old one is forgotten as the new one consumes him.
The text of the present manuscript largely follows the essay as published, but with some substantial deviations. The above text "five short novels" would become "six short novels," but more importantly, Steinbeck in this draft uses a great deal of self-deprecating language, subsequently removed. An entire section leading into his discussion of the works does not appear in the final version: "... all of them have been experiments. That is why no two are remotely alike. And experiments are rarely accepted all at once. / My stories have been slow starters almost like shy young men who do not make friends quickly. Indeed most of my books have succeeded without trying in making quick and fierce enemies at first. It is pleasing to me that in time they do make lasting and loyal friends."
The first piece Steinbeck discusses is The Red Pony, "written a long time ago when there was desolation in my family. The first death had occurred—and the family which every child believes immortal, was shattered." He describes the difficulty getting the piece published, ultimately placing it in the North American Review for the sum of $90, only to watch the magazine go under soon after. Another section here is excised from the printed appearance, regarding the story disappearing for a while before finding its audience. Steinbeck moves to Tortilla Flat, which so outraged the officials of Monterey that they issued a statement saying "no such disreputable people lived in that neighborhood," which probably helped Steinbeck sell more books than had they remained quiet. Of Mice and Men almost didn't happen: "I had nearly finished it when my setter pup ate it one night—literally made confetti of it. I had to start fresh. I don't know how close the first and second versions would prove to be."
Steinbeck glosses over The Grapes of Wrath with "There were long books between these little novels. I think the little ones were exercises for the longer ones." Then during World War II he wrote The Moon is Down "as a kind of celebration of the durability of Democracy." The fragment ends at the bottom of page 4 as Steinbeck is musing on his representations of Germans as "men, not supermen." The published version continues to discuss briefly Cannery Row and The Pearl, but taking up just half a printed page (and not present in this manuscript).
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck was issued in 1953 with six, not five titles mentioned in this draft. In a letter to David Heyler dated August [1953], Steinbeck mentions writing a preface to the anthology as one of the projects he is currently working on.