East of Eden

Description

Steinbeck considered East of Eden to be his masterpiece. In his journal, Journal of a Novel (often read as a companion to the novel) he notes that “this is the book I have always wanted and have worked and prayed to be able to write Set primarily in the Salinas Valley in the early twentieth century, the novel traces three generations of two families – the Trasks and the Hamiltons – as they grapple with the ever-present forces of good and evil. From this plot emerged some of Steinbeck’s most fascinating characters – many of whom are modeled after people in his own life. Part allegory, part autobiography, and part epic, East of Eden was an ambitious project from the start – a gift to Steinbeck’s sons that was meant to teach them about identity, grief, and what it means to be human. Tinged with biblical echoes of the fall of Adam and Eve and the rivalry of Cain and Abel, this sprawling saga has captivated audiences everywhere for generations. It is through the popularization of East of Eden that the Salinas Valley was truly transformed into “the valley of the world”; a place where everyone is able to find a piece of themselves in the golden, rolling hills. ([source](http://www.steinbeck.org/about-john/his-works/)) --- Contains: - [East of Eden 1/2](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17811975W/East_of_Eden_1_2) - [East of Eden 2/2](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL18023025W/East_of_Eden_2_2) --- Also contained in: - [East of Eden / The Wayward Bus](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15138391W/East_of_Eden_The_Wayward_Bus) - [The Grapes of Wrath / The Moon is Down / Cannery Row / East of Eden / Of Mice and Men](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL23165W/The_Grapes_of_Wrath_The_Moon_is_Down_Cannery_Row_East_of_Eden_Of_Mice_and_Men) - [Novels 1942-1952](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15334093W/Novels_1942-1952) - [Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Spring 1953 Selections](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15158232W)

Description

In his journal, Steinbeck called East of Eden "the first book," and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. Set in the rich farm- land of California's Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Here is a work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. --back cover

Subjects

Genres

• Fiction

Series Statement

• Penguin twentieth-century classics

Other Editions

• East of EdenPaperbackPenguin Books1992-01-01
• East of EdenViking Press1952-01-01
• Jenseits von EdenDiana1953-01-01
• East of Eden.W. Heinemann1958-01-01
• Jenseits von EdenDiana Verlag1961-01-01
• East of EdenViking1970-01-01