Happy 111th Birthday, John Steinbeck!

 

 

National Steinbeck Center

Did you realize that there is a National Steinbeck Center---a museum dedicated to John Steinbeck and which celebrates "community and creativity"?

Here's a link---it looks like a pretty cool place to visit if you're ever in Oldtown Salinas, California!

http://www.steinbeck.org/


Oh, and by the way, Sunday, Feb. 24 is Mr. Steinbeck's 111th birthday! How appropriate that we read one of his books and discuss it this week! (I wish I could tell you that I had planned it this way, but alas, 'twould be a lie.)

Hope to see you this Wednesday at 7:30 to discuss Travels with Charley.

The Truth About Travels with Charley

In 2010, Bill Stiegerwald took a 11, 726 mile trip across America, using Travels with Charley as a guide and took pictures along the way. He also blogged about his trip for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and here is a link to that blog including his pictures.

I wonder what Oprah would say about his book and Steinbeck's stretching of the truth that has been pointed out by others, including this blogger:

http://truthaboutcharley.com/travels-with-charley-timeline/

But, I wonder, how much does the truth really matter in a book like this? Does it rise to the level of literary fraud, as this blogger contends?

Steinbeck's 'Travels with Charley' in NY Times

In 2011,  New York Times reporter tried to retrace the route John Steinbeck took in 1960 in Travels with Charley and here is what he wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/books/steinbecks-travels-with-charley-gets-a-fact-checking.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0