Working days: the journals of The Grapes of Wrath, 1938–1941

Abstract

This volume collects the personal journals kept by John Steinbeck between February 1938 and January 1941, accompanied by an introduction, section commentaries, and annotations by editor Robert DeMott. The text chronicles Steinbeck’s day-to-day writing process during the composition and immediate aftermath of The Grapes of Wrath. Arranged in three parts, the record details his initial distress regarding the plight of displaced migrant workers in California in early 1938; his disciplined, five-month drafting routine in Los Gatos between May and October 1938, marked by persistent self-doubt, domestic and environmental disruptions, and the critical assistance of his wife, Carol; and the turbulent years from 1939 to 1941, which brought intense public scrutiny, marital strain, physical exhaustion, and attempts to redirect his focus toward documentary film and marine biology. DeMott’s editorial apparatus contextualizes these daily entries within Steinbeck’s broader biography, his creative methodology, and the sociopolitical conditions of the late Great Depression, highlighting the personal relationships, working habits, and psychological pressures that accompanied the creation of the novel. – AI-generated abstract.