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Lot 197
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Nobel Prize Laureate John Steinbeck ALS: "Don't you feel a little naked?"
Nobel Prize Laureate John Steinbeck ALS: "Don't you feel a little naked?"
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Description:

Steinbeck John

Single page ALS on stationery stock, 6.25" x 8", with letterhead of "The Cottage/Discover/Bruton/Somerset". Dated "12 Sept '59", and signed by John Steinbeck in full signature "John Steinbeck" . One very tiny faded spot, otherwise near fine with strong contrasting ink. Single center fold.

A superb letter from an aging Steinbeck, penned during his stay in Somerset, Glastonbury, where he lived with his third wife while working on a novel which was entrenched in King Arthur mythology. (This novel ultimately was published post humorously as "The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights"). Steinbeck believed that this novel would be the most significant project of his life. With the supposed site of Camelot less than 10 miles away at South Cadbury, and Glastonbury Tor within view, he was offered a window of opportunity that would not come again. In the mornings he would rise early and listen to birdsong. Rapt by the mystical qualities of the ancient land, Steinbeck was transported into another world. He believed his work was going well. But to his profound shock and ultimate despair, it was precisely the quixotic quality of his vision that seemed to disturb his publisher. As such his novel was shelved until after his death.

His journey to the birth of Arthurian mythology commenced with the couple arriving in England by ship in March 1959,and thereby driving to Somerset where they would remain until autumn. This letter was written just shortly before they moved back to the States. His writing also forebodes his illness as Steinbeck makes mention of difficulty in concentrating. However, his jocular humor still does not fall short. The letter is shown in full below:

"12 Sept '59

Dear Weatherly:

The explanation is simple. I haven't answered any letters. Concentration a difficult state for me at any time, suggests this, And it works.

Of course I know your work. And I will be very pleased to see you some time during the first two weeks in October when I shall be in London prior to sailing for home. This will be best arranged through Graham Watson of Curtis Brown. I am not leaving because but he remembers things and I have a tendency to forget.

Don't you feel a little naked with your new shortened name?

Yours faithfully,

John Steinbeck"

A fantastic letter, revealing on many levels, the most amusing of which is that Steinbeck makes a jocular reference to his friend shortening his name; particularly ironic when his own paternal grandfather did the very same thing with his family's surname. His grandfather, came to the United States as Johann Adolf Großsteinbeck (1828–1913), but quickly shortened the family name to Steinbeck upon immigration!

Steinbeck additionally alludes to his developing illness which is believed to be the catalyst for his very next novel upon arriving back in the States.

By 1960, shortly after this letter, Steinbeck had become determined to revisit America, this time via a giant road trip in a homemade camper, with standard poodle Charlie in tow accompanying him as his loyal friend and travel companion. Steinbeck was moved by a desire to see his country on a personal level, since he made his living writing about it. He wrote of having many questions going into his journey, the main one being, "What are Americans like today?" However, he found that he had concerns about much of the "new America" he witnessed. The two set out on a road trip which provided the necessary elements for Steinbeck to complete his novel/travelogue, "Travels with Charley: In Search of America", Steinbeck bemoaned his lost youth and roots, while dispensing both criticism and praise for America. However, according to Steinbeck's son Thom, Steinbeck went on the trip, because he knew he was dying and wanted to see the country one last time.

An important ALS by one of the most well-loved American authors of all time. Many of Steinbeck's works are required reading in American high schools. In the United Kingdom, "Of Mice and Men" is one of the key texts used by the examining body for its English Literature GCSE. A study by the Center for the Learning and Teaching of Literature in the United States found that "Of Mice and Men" was one of the ten most frequently read books in public high schools. Contra-wise, Steinbeck's works have been frequently banned in the United States. "The Grapes of Wrath" was banned by school boards: in August 1939,Kern County Board of Supervisors banned the book from the county's publicly funded schools and libraries. It was burned in Salinas on two different occasions. In 2003, a school board in Mississippi banned it on the grounds of profanity. According to the American Library Association Steinbeck was one of the ten most frequently banned authors from 1990 to 2004, with "Of Mice and Men" ranking sixth out of 100 such books in the United States.

He obtained the Nobel prize in literature in 1962.

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