''The Pastures of Heaven'' is a short story cycle by
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...
, first published in 1932, consisting of twelve interconnected stories about a valley, the
Corral de Tierra, in
Monterey, California
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...
, which was discovered by a Spanish corporal while chasing runaway
Indian slaves. Enchanted by the valley's natural beauty, the corporal names it ''Las Pasturas del Cielo'' or "The Pastures of Heaven." The stories are written in classic Steinbeck style; the lives of the families that relocate to the valley are portrayed with a mixture of humor and poignance. A recurring theme in the book is the pain caused when people try ineptly to help or to please others.
In the arts
In the story "Junius Maltby", one of the characters regards Robert Louis Stevenson's ''
Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations.
Travel(s) may also refer to:
Music
* ''Travel'' (Future of Forestry EP), 2009
* ''Travel'' (Mamamoo EP), 2020
* ''Travels'' (Defeater album), 2008
* ...
'' as one of the greatest works of English literature and eventually names his infant son Robert Louis. Steinbeck was later inspired by Stevenson in choosing to title his account of his cross-country voyage with a gray-haired poodle in the 1960s, ''
Travels With Charley: In Search of America''.
Legacy
The grounds of the schoolhouse in which many chapters are set is still in use by the
Washington Union School District where fourth and fifth grade are taught.
Adaptations
A stage adaptation of ''The Pastures of Heaven'' done as a collaboration between the
California Shakespeare Theater
California Shakespeare Theater ("Cal Shakes") is a regional theater located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Its performance space, the Lt. G. H. Bruns III Memorial Amphitheater, is located in Orinda, while the administrative offices, ...
and
Word for Word Performing Art Company
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
(a company that stages short stories literally word for word) premiered in Orinda, California, in June 2010. The script was by Octavio Solis, and it was directed by California Shakespeare Theater's artistic director
Jonathan Moscone
Jonathan Moscone (born October 5, 1964) is an American theater director, and currently the Executive Director of the California Arts Council under Governor Gavin Newsom's administration. Formerly the Chief Producer of Yerba Buena Center for the ...
.
References
Further reading
* Martock, Melanie. "The Eden Myth as Paradox: An Allegorical Reading of ''Pastures of Heaven''.
''Steinbeck Quarterly'' 11.01 (Winter 1978) 6-15.
* Hearle, Kevin. "The Pastures of Contested Pastoral Discourse.
''Steinbeck Quarterly'' 26.01-02 (Winter/Spring 1993) 38-45.
* Winn, Harbour. "The Unity of Steinbeck's ''Pastures'' Community.
''Steinbeck Quarterly'' 22.03-04 (Summer/Fall 1989) 91-103.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pastures Of Heaven, The
1932 short story collections
20th-century short stories
American short story collections
History of Monterey County, California
Short stories set in California
Short story collections by John Steinbeck