Working Days: The Journals of the Grapes of Wrath 1938-1941 [Hardcover]

John Steinbeck (Author), Robert Demott (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 1989

The journal John Steinback kept between June and October of 1938 when he wrote The Grapes of Wrath. It is a tale of determination and inspiration; it also chronicles his self-doubt and personal difficulties. With a fascinating cast of characters, Working Days records in intimate detail the conception and genesis of an American masterpiece.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While writing his greatest novel in 1938, Steinbeck kept a journal that chronicled his torments, self-doubts, late and false starts, reversals and other struggles to achieve his goal. There are references to his typist-wife Carol Henning, his agent Elizabeth Otis, his publisher Pascal Covici and to the documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz, whose style strongly influenced the structure of Steinbeck's novel. Entry #100, 26 October 1938, ends, "Finished this dayand I hope to God it's good." Another 21 entries deal with the aftermath, to January 1941. The repetitiveness and at times boring nature of the journal may deter general readers, who will, however, appreciate the extensive introduction, comments, notes and annotations of DeMott, professor of English at Ohio University.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Divided into three parts, each with commentary, deMott provides preface and acknowledgements as well as a context-setting introduction for events and people in John Steinbeck's life during the time he wrote The Grapes of Wrath. Concluding with notes and annotations to the journal entries, this book may be a bit more than is needed for most student research at the high-school level. It does, however, provide some fascinating details on the great American writer's life and writing style, and gives insight into Steinbeck's commitment and dedication to his work.
- Jenni Elliott, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, TX
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (April 14, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670808458
• ISBN-13: 978-0670808458
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A journal of a masterpiece getting written, January 2, 2001

By 

C. Ebeling "ctlpareader" (PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (Paperback)

Working Days is for Steinbeck readers or any student of creative processes and habits of successful people. John Steinbeck wrote the beefy The Grapes of Wrath like a freight train, averaging 2,000 words a day in longhand, from June through October, 1938. He did not do this in isolation. He got up an average of five days a week, had breakfast, wrote in his journal, then went to work until early evening, while hammers from neighborhood construction pounded relentlessly, amid human intrusions of all kinds, a souring stomach and self doubt. He was a purposeful journal-keeper, using it to set the goals for the day, to talk himself into character development and plot movement. No doubt the journal also served to subconsiously swat away the distractions so he could focus on the work. Working Days is edited by Robert Demott who has seemingly devoted his career to the meticulous scrutiny of Steinbeck's life, works and habits. If there can be a criticism of this volume, it's that Demott hovers too much; his is, for instance, one of the longest critical introductions I've come across. But this does not detract from the enjoyment of crawling around in Steinbeck's mind, which the journal freely permits.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but not Insightful, April 10, 2001

By 

Rich Duprey "foolishcop" (Teaneck, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (Paperback)

I found this work diary of Steinbeck to be far less informative than I had imagined it would be. Aside from his daily ruminations that he was unsure if "Grapes" would be a good book, there was little revealed as to his creative process. How did he create his characters? Why did he use certain plot devices? Where did his inspirations come from? All this was lacking.

If you read Christopher Tolkien's works on his father's "Lord of the Rings," you see the work created before you. You can see how a character developed, how a plot changed. In "Working Days" there is none of that. It is simply repetitive admonitions to himself to work harder. It became tedious and a great many times I wondered if the editor had simply repeated previous entries and only changed their number.

"Working Days" is interesting, but don't be fooled into thinking you are going to be there at the birth of a great novel.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book from a great writer, March 30, 2001

By 

Suzanne E. Anderson "Author of Mrs. Tuesday's... (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (Paperback)

If you enjoyed reading Grapes of Wrath, or any other books by Steinbeck...get this book. If you want to follow a writer through the process of creating an important novel, get this book. The daily journal entries written by Steinbeck show the ebb and flow of his moods, his confidence that he was indeed writing a great book, and those days when he felt that he lacked the talent to pull it off. It is rare to get the opportunity to watch an artist create....this is pretty darn close. And a good read!