Quote of the day - Steinbeck

Subject: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Marion
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 11:08 AM

This is from John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath"; from a chapter describing life in the temporary camps made by Dust Bowl refugees on their way to California.

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And perhaps a man brought out his guitar to the front of his tent. And he sat on a box to play, and everyone in the camp moved slowly in toward him, drawn in toward him. Many men can chord a guitar, but perhaps this man was a picker. There you have something - the deep chords beating, beating, while the melody runs on the strings like little footsteps. Heavy hard fingers marching on the frets. The man played and the people moved slowly in on him until the circle was closed and tight, and then he sang "Ten Cent Cotton and Forty Cent Meat." And the circle sang softly with him. And he sang "Why Do You Cut Your Hair, Girls?" And the circle sang. He wailed the song "I'm Leaving Old Texas," that eerie song that was sung before the Spaniards came, only the words were Indian then.

And now the group was welded to one thing, one unit, so that in the dark the eyes of the people were inward, and their minds played in other times, and their sadness was like rest, like sleep. He sang the "McAlester Blues" and then, to make it up to the older people, he sang "Jesus Calls Me to His Side." The children drowsed with the music and went into the tents to sleep, and the singing came into their dreams.

And after a while the man with the guitar stood up and yawned. Good night, folks, he said.

And they murmured, Good night to you.

And each wished he could pick a guitar, because it is a gracious thing.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: C-flat
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 11:28 AM

From one of my favourite books. Steinbeck paints wonderful pictures in your head with his detailed observations. Thank you for reminding me of this one. C-flat.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 02:15 PM

I'm a HUGE Steinbeck fan. I think I have, and have read, everything he wrote. A few years ago Bride Judy and I did a "Steinbeck" honeymoon. For her it was her first visit to Steinbeck country, I'd been there often. I've just started a wonderful book I'd recommend to all fans: "Steinbeck,A Life In Letters." Edited by Elaine Steinbeck and Robert Wallsten. Published in 1975 by Viking Press. It a collection of the many letters he wrote in his lifetime to friends, associates, business folks, etc. It adds a tremendous depth to his story, especially if you somewhat know his story first. I highly encourage the reading. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Mr Red
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 03:51 PM

Woody Guthrie once said, on a stage set for a later showing of TGOW, "it looks like the Rape of Graft round here".

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: SharonA
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 04:06 PM

"A Life in Letters" *sigh* Makes me wonder what future generations will have as their "in-depth" version of famous personages: a life in e-mails? a life in pager messages? a life in posts to internet forums?

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 04:38 PM

SharonA ... It's funny (strange) that you mention that. As I was driving to work this morning, I thought about that point ... what do we do for tomorrow when today's letters are mostly e-mail? Even as I speak (read that write, sorry) I DO SAVE several threads of postings for my kritters (children). They are very tuned into me, and I to them. So, perhaps some years from now, as biographers try to reconstruct famous lives, those reconstructions may need to take on an electronic medium? CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 05:56 PM

I've just started reading Dawidoff's In the Country of Country, People and Places in American Music and see that he has elected to open his book with that same quotation. Bully for him (and for you)! It's a gem.

Sandy

Subject: Letter-writing and history
From: SharonA
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 05:57 PM

Bob: Good for you! (or, as some here say, good on ya!) I think that's very important to do. It's not just famous lives that historians reconstruct; look at the compilations of letters written by soldiers to their loved ones during the Civil War. Even if they weren't great authors like John Steinbeck, these letter-writers added an intimate dimension to the history of those times, and in some cases provided information not otherwise available to historians.

I suppose that the letters of the "common man" are less important today (in the "Information Age") for purposes of reconstructing general history, but a person's communications are still vital to the reconstruction of his or her life, and to an understanding of the "mindset" of the times.

Indeed, the reconstruction of one's life through one's communications will have to include electronic and digital media from this era onward (until communications reach the next level, whatever that will be). They say that anything's retrievable once it's posted on the net or sent by e-mail; for the sake of biographers and historians, I hope that's true.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 05:57 PM

I've just started reading Dawidoff's In the Country of Country, People and Places in American Music and see that he has elected to open his book with that same quotation. Bully for him (and for you)! It's a gem.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 08:24 PM

After Woody Guthrie wrote his song "Tom Joad", Stienbeck is reputed to have said, "If I'd known that you could tell the whole story in twelve verses I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble."

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 15 Apr 02 - 10:33 PM

Yes, that's an accurate quote. One of the things I'm realizing from reading his 'letters' is just how funny he was. He was also bi-lingual! (he could even speak Spanish)Bob

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Mudlark
Date: 16 Apr 02 - 12:03 AM

Great quote, great book, great writer. Thanks...

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 16 Apr 02 - 12:32 AM

Deckman,

I realized how funny he was by reading Tortilla Flats & Cannery Row. He sure was a great judge of human behaviour.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Apr 02 - 03:38 PM

This post has just reminded me of an incident that happened to me 100 years ago (1967). I was in my last year of college and was assigned to the Indianapollis, Indiana, Goodwill Program for field training in Rehabilitation. During my three month assignment, I made many friends and aquaintances. One day, an older lady rushed up to me and pressed a diary in my hands. She was very nervous and explained that she wanted me to have it. It turned out that she had discovered it in a chest of drawers that was donated to Goodwill. She had pocketed it, and enjoyed it, and now she didn't know what to do with it. She gave it to me because, while on my field study assignment, I had brought my guitar and I gave lunch time concerts of folksongs to the workers and staff. She assumed that I would know what to do with it. Well, I did. I had already made friends with the local library historian so I turned it over to him. He made me two copies, one for the lady who placed it in my care, and one for me. The original went into the library archives. The diary was written during the civil war and covered the four month siege of Vicksburg. I occasionally read it, if only to remind me of the value of the written page. CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 16 Apr 02 - 05:38 PM

The only reasonable response that last one is "WOW"!!

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Amergin
Date: 16 Apr 02 - 10:50 PM

Grapes of Wrath is one of my all time favourite books...it is so powerful...and true...if working folks do not stand together...we will be crushed...

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Apr 02 - 11:18 PM

In reading the 'letters' of Steinbeck, I discover that after the publication of "Grapes of Wrath," he received many death threats from the local growers associations. He (they) lived in a very dicey situation for months. I'd read of that before, but to read his personal letters to close friends speaking to those times is very revealing. Bob

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 06:38 AM

I've always loved the Cannery Row books and especially the character "Doc", but it was only a few years ago when I read "The Log of a Voyage to the Sea of Cortez", that I realised that "Doc" was a real person - Ed Ricketts (Steinbeck even had shares in his Laboratory). Although the book is basically a non-fiction account it's still an interesting a book with much humour - even though it was written after the tragic death of his close friend.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Guessed
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 10:13 AM

e-mails can be more permanent than paper. One thing we can B sure of is that spelling will B abismul and vwlls wll dsppr.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 05:34 PM

KUTE! Bob

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Joe_F
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 06:54 PM

The song "Torelli" (which, astonishingly, seems not to be in the database) is reputed to be based on _Tortilla Flat_.

Listen, amigo, and I will ask you this:
Why is a glass of wine like a lover's kiss?
When you drink the wine, it makes you laugh a little bit.
When the wine is gone, you can see thru it.

Ay, ay, paisano.
Yip! La vida es asi.

Subject: RE: Quote of the day - Steinbeck
From: Deckman
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 07:12 PM

Es muy bien ... Bob