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Travels with Charley in Search of America: (Centennial Edition) Paperback – Deckle Edge, February 5, 2002

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,410 ratings

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An intimate journey across and in search of America, as told by one of its most beloved writers, in a deluxe centennial edition

In September 1960, John Steinbeck embarked on a journey across America. He felt that he might have lost touch with the country, with its speech, the smell of its grass and trees, its color and quality of light, the pulse of its people. To reassure himself, he set out on a voyage of rediscovery of the American identity, accompanied by a distinguished French poodle named Charley; and riding in a three-quarter-ton pickup truck named Rocinante.
 
His course took him through almost forty states: northward from Long Island to Maine; through the Midwest to Chicago; onward by way of Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana (with which he fell in love), and Idaho to Seattle, south to San Francisco and his birthplace, Salinas; eastward through the Mojave, New Mexico, Arizona, to the vast hospitality of Texas, to New Orleans and a shocking drama of desegregation; finally, on the last leg, through Alabama, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to New York.
 
Travels with Charley in Search of America is an intimate look at one of America's most beloved writers in the later years of his life—a self-portrait of a man who never wrote an explicit autobiography. Written during a time of upheaval and racial tension in the South—which Steinbeck witnessed firsthand—Travels with Charley is a stunning evocation of America on the eve of a tumultuous decade. This Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition also features French flaps and deckle-edged paper.

For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Pure delight, a pungent potpourri of places and people interspersed with bittersweet essays on everything from the emotional difficulties of growing old to the reasons why giant sequoias arouse such awe.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Profound, sympathetic, often angry . . . an honest moving book by one of our great writers.” —The San Francisco Examiner

“This is superior Steinbeck—a muscular, evocative report of a journey of rediscovery.” —John Barkham, Saturday Review Syndicate

“The eager, sensuous pages in which he writes about what he found and whom he encountered frame a picture of our human nature in the twentieth century which will not soon be surpassed.” —Edward Weeks, The Atlantic Monthly

About the Author

John Steinbeck, born in Salinas, California, in 1902, grew up in a fertile agricultural valley, about twenty-five miles from the Pacific Coast. Both the valley and the coast would serve as settings for some of his best fiction. In 1919 he went to Stanford University, where he intermittently enrolled in literature and writing courses until he left in 1925 without taking a degree. During the next five years he supported himself as a laborer and journalist in New York City, all the time working on his first novel, Cup of Gold (1929).

After marriage and a move to Pacific Grove, he published two California books, The Pastures of Heaven (1932) and To a God Unknown (1933), and worked on short stories later collected in The Long Valley (1938). Popular success and financial security came only with Tortilla Flat (1935), stories about Monterey’s paisanos. A ceaseless experimenter throughout his career, Steinbeck changed courses regularly. Three powerful novels of the late 1930s focused on the California laboring class: In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), and the book considered by many his finest, The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The Grapes of Wrath won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1939.

Early in the 1940s, Steinbeck became a filmmaker with The Forgotten Village (1941) and a serious student of marine biology with Sea of Cortez (1941). He devoted his services to the war, writing Bombs Away (1942) and the controversial play-novelette The Moon is Down (1942). Cannery Row (1945), The Wayward Bus (1948), another experimental drama, Burning Bright (1950), and The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1951) preceded publication of the monumental East of Eden (1952), an ambitious saga of the Salinas Valley and his own family’s history.

The last decades of his life were spent in New York City and Sag Harbor with his third wife, with whom he traveled widely. Later books include Sweet Thursday (1954), The Short Reign of Pippin IV: A Fabrication (1957), Once There Was a War (1958), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), Travels with Charley in Search of America (1962), America and Americans (1966), and the posthumously published Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters (1969), Viva Zapata! (1975), The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976), and Working Days: The Journals of The Grapes of Wrath (1989).

Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962, and, in 1964, he was presented with the United States Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Steinbeck died in New York in 1968. Today, more than thirty years after his death, he remains one of America's greatest writers and cultural figures.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (February 5, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0142000701
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0142000700
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 0.59 x 8.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,410 ratings

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John Steinbeck
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John Steinbeck (1902-1968), winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, achieved popular success in 1935 when he published Tortilla Flat. He went on to write more than twenty-five novels, including The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.

Photo by JohnSteinbeck.JPG: US Government derivative work: Homonihilis (JohnSteinbeck.JPG) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
9,410 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book an enjoyable read with thought-provoking content. They praise the well-written, descriptive writing style that carries them along. Readers appreciate the travel theme and humor in the book. The book is described as entertaining and engaging, providing insights into people and society.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

440 customers mention "Readability"440 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy reading the book. They find it delightful with a few dark revelations. The book provides an opportunity to get to know Steinbeck better. Readers describe it as entertaining, memorable, and a must-read for travelers.

"...An easy, almost enjoyably lazy read with an occasional splatter of impressive vocabulary." Read more

"Steinbeck’s ability to create a sense of place and tell an entertaining story has always impressed me...." Read more

"This is a book every American should read. I found the description of his time in New Orleans so harrowing that I threw up...." Read more

"...I consider this to be one of the great passages in modern fiction. THE GIST OF LIFE:..." Read more

255 customers mention "Thought provoking"255 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and topical. They appreciate the creative descriptions and insightful writing style. The book provides a thoughtful commentary on a pivotal time in American history, with wise insights and well-crafted characters.

"...this is the book that introduced me to his writing, so it has great significance to me." Read more

"...A mostly thoughtful and hilarious read that overcomes Steinbeck’s darker side...." Read more

"...Like many of his works, Travels with Charley, provided an intimate view and insightful interpretation of human nature. Here’s one example...." Read more

"...There is a reason it is a Classic. Plain great writing. Funny. Adventurous. Unforgettable." Read more

167 customers mention "Writing quality"157 positive10 negative

Customers enjoy the writing quality of the book. They find the prose gentle and engaging, with vivid descriptions that match those of Twain and Hemingway. The book is described as a pleasant and easy read with colorful ribbons of life. Steinbeck's use of the English language is impressive and makes it a smooth reading experience.

"...Steinbeck is one of America's greatest writers, and this is the book that introduced me to his writing, so it has great significance to me." Read more

"...An easy, almost enjoyably lazy read with an occasional splatter of impressive vocabulary." Read more

"...Steinbeck is a great writer, and his description of the white women shouting insults at the little black child entering a newly desegregated school..." Read more

"...There is a reason it is a Classic. Plain great writing. Funny. Adventurous. Unforgettable." Read more

82 customers mention "Travel value"82 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the travel narrative in the book. They find it fascinating to follow Steinbeck's journey through America. The author does an excellent job describing the country and being honest about the downsides of traveling. The book is described as an entertaining and informative travelogue.

"...clothes on the road and cooking beans on a camp stove were transporting and evocative. It alternated between poignant and funny...." Read more

"...with Charlie is an as mazing combination of auto biography, travel and dog story. There is a reason it is a Classic. Plain great writing. Funny...." Read more

"...Whether fiction or non fiction Mr Steinbeck does an excellent job traveling and describing the America of his time...." Read more

"...This book fits in very well to my project, because of the theme of travel and exploring the unseen America...." Read more

60 customers mention "Humor"60 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, wit, and common sense. They find it entertaining, playful, and an insightful look into the author's mind. The writing is described as clever and interesting.

"...A mostly thoughtful and hilarious read that overcomes Steinbeck’s darker side...." Read more

"...It alternated between poignant and funny...." Read more

"...There is a reason it is a Classic. Plain great writing. Funny. Adventurous. Unforgettable." Read more

"...His journey and experiences are truthful, playful, and at times, raw and challenging to read...." Read more

39 customers mention "Enjoyment"39 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and engaging. They appreciate the author's perspective on America and society.

"...This book is charming and fun, yet beautifully written without being overly poetic...." Read more

"...The book is fun and deep and thoughtful. Humorous and light while being deep and thought provoking...." Read more

"...been different, but overall, it will keep your attention and keep you entertained...." Read more

"...and personality - and Steinbeck does a great job making this an enjoyable if not terribly engaging or meaningful ride. He's also funny as hell...." Read more

28 customers mention "Value for money"21 positive7 negative

Customers find the book offers great value for money. They say it's worth the price, a true classic with lasting value, and a must-have for anyone interested in travel accounts. Many consider it a gem and a great keepsake.

"...Charley makes for an excellent companion. If you like dogs, roads trips and American culture this would be a worthy read for you" Read more

"...Anything written by Steinbeck is classic and well worth the money. A true American writer. I am sure you will not be disappointed...." Read more

"...Charley's experience with the bears in Yellowstone Park was worth the price of the book all by itself...." Read more

"...So other buyers, make sure you don’t get swindled. It was a cheap book and not worth the trouble of returning, but I had to give my friend my own..." Read more

27 customers mention "Character development"27 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's character development. They find the characters interesting and likable, with Charlie being a delightful character. Readers appreciate the author's descriptions of people and places encountered.

"...The kindness of Stuart Little,Charlotte,and poor old Wilbur!Charley is a nice fellow.I won't spoil the book for you with any details,but one...." Read more

"...Anyway, he was a terrific gentleman and he loved to read...." Read more

"...Steinbeck has Charley, the perfect companion, sometimes observing in bemusement the mysteries of human civilization, sometimes disinterested,..." Read more

"...The stories he tells, the people he meets, his interactions with Charlie are all fantastic...." Read more

Damaged!😠
1 out of 5 stars
Damaged!😠
I buy books quite often on Amazon and this ain't the first time they've delivered damaged products. I've been trying to straighten the pages out but it'll take awhile longer. I'm really sick of returning items to get a decent one. Find a better way to distribute books or I'll be shopping at other stores online. Book Depository at least knows what they're doing. Or just go to an actual book store. You can pick out a decent copy. Other than this review mainly scolding Amazon, the story itself is great and worth reading.👍🏻
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    It's the story of writer John Steinbeck traveling around the United States with his dog Charlie. (sp?)

    It's was written in the late 50's or early 60's, so it is fascinating to read of people in different parts of the country during that time period.

    Steinbeck is one of America's greatest writers, and this is the book that introduced me to his writing, so it has great significance to me.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024
    I enjoyed this collection of stories, nonfiction and fiction. Interesting exploration of his travels with Charley and the fiction that revealed the antics of an earlier day in Monterey. It might have revealed life as it was before commercialization and tourism overcame the Monterey peninsula.
    A mostly thoughtful and hilarious read that overcomes Steinbeck’s darker side.
    An easy, almost enjoyably lazy read with an occasional splatter of impressive vocabulary.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
    Steinbeck’s ability to create a sense of place and tell an entertaining story has always impressed me. This nonfiction account of his cross-country road trip in 1960 did not disappoint in that respect.

    He was 58 when he and his dog, Charley, set out in a modern, fully-stocked camper truck for a months’ long journey. Steinbeck’s goal was to rediscover the America and the people he’d spent decades portraying in his novels. He took the trip in late fall and early winter, specifically to avoid tourists and engage in conversation with the average woman and man. His description of driving isolated back-roads and eating in small-town diners, of laundering clothes on the road and cooking beans on a camp stove were transporting and evocative. It alternated between poignant and funny.

    Like many of his works, Travels with Charley, provided an intimate view and insightful interpretation of human nature. Here’s one example. Midway through their travels, Charley became ill and Steinbeck took him to the nearest veterinarian. The author quickly assessed the doctor was likely an alcoholic with a serious hangover. When the vet touched the dog with “his unsteady, inept hand,” Steinbeck wrote, “I saw the look of veiled contempt in Charley’s eyes. He knew about the man, I thought, and perhaps the doctor knew he knew. And maybe that was the man’s trouble. It would be very painful to know that your patients had no faith in you.”

    Though Steinbeck was unhappy with the doctor’s gruff bedside manner in the moment, he later reflected on the experience with some empathy, even a touch of compassion. “It wasn’t that this veterinary didn’t like animals. I think he didn’t like himself, and when that is so the subject usually must find an area for dislike outside himself. Else he would have to admit his self-contempt.”

    The book also gave me a new perspective of Steinbeck himself and of the era during which he lived. Critical reviewers of the time lauded his searing interpretation of our nation’s shortcomings in “political apathy, environmental degradation, and strident racism.” Yet, reading many passages through today’s lens, I was struck by the irony of such praise and by a renewed sense of pride in how far we have come the past 50 years.
    Steinbeck believed in racial equality. He railed against segregation. His words sang with a sincerity I believed. At the same time, some of his expressions made me wince when measuring them against today’s standards of racism.
    With regard to the environment, Steinbeck’s prose reflected a man who loved nature and wild places, who championed the preservation of forests and wildlife. Indeed, he was. On the other hand, he viewed those places through the narrow view of a mid-20th century outdoorsman. He didn’t see them as ecosystems vital to mankind’s survival, but rather as playgrounds vital to man’s amusement.

    In one passage, he extolled “modern designs for easy living” that made his forays into nature more convenient and enjoyable. “On my boat I had discovered aluminum, disposable cooking utensils, frying pans and deep dishes. You fry a fish and throw the pan overboard.” In another passage, he described camping in the Mohave Desert and setting two coyotes in his rifle sights. “Coyotes are vermin. They steal chickens. They must be killed. They are the enemy,” he wrote. It broke my heart, even though I know that was common, accepted belief in his day.

    This memoir smashed the rose-colored glasses through which I viewed my literary hero. That doesn’t mean I no longer admire Steinbeck’s writing and storytelling talents. In fact, it may have deepened my appreciation of his work now that I have a deeper understanding for the real-life man behind the author persona.
    35 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2024
    This is a book every American should read. I found the description of his time in New Orleans so harrowing that I threw up. Steinbeck is a great writer, and his description of the white women shouting insults at the little black child entering a newly desegregated school is something I will never forget.
    In today’s climate, this book might be banned, which would be awful. We should never forget.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2007
    Steinbeck at his most brilliant.What a marvellous and delightful read.
    Charley,his travelling buddy,a french poodle,reminded me alot of E.B. White's affection for the anthropomorphic qualities of animals.
    The kindness of Stuart Little,Charlotte,and poor old Wilbur!Charley is a nice fellow.I won't spoil the book for you with any details,but one.Steibeck was getting on,feeling old,and decided to travel the US in his re-outfitted camper with his pal Charley.Of course,with his dear wife's consent.
    I consider this to be one of the great passages in modern fiction.

    THE GIST OF LIFE:
    "...In long range planning for a trip,I think there is a private conviction that it won't happen.As the day approached,my warm bed and comfortable house grew increasingly desirable and my dear wife incalculably precious.To give these up for 3 months for the terrors of the uncomfortable and unknown seemed crazy.I didn't want to go.Something had to happen to forbid my going,but it didn't.I could get sick,of course,but that was one of my main but secrets reasons for going at all.During the previous winter I had become rather seriously ill with one of those carefully named difficulties which are the whispers of approaching age.When I came out of it I recieved the usual lecture about slowing up,losing wieght,limiting the cholesteral intake.It happens to many men,and I think doctors have memorized the litany.It had happened to so many of my friends.The lecture ends "Slow down.You're not as young as you once where".And I had seen so many begin to pack their lives in cotton wool,smother their impulses,hood their passions,and gradually retire from their manhood into a kind of spiritual and physical semi-invalidism.In this they are encouraged by wives and relatives,and it's such a sweet trap.Who doesn't like to be the center for concern?A kind of second childhood falls on so many men.They trade their violence for the promise for a small increase of life span.In effect,the head of house becomes the youngest child.And I have searched myself for this possibility with a kind of horror.For I have alway lived violently,drunk hugely,eaten too much,or not at all,slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping,worked too long and hard in glory,or slobbed for a time in utter laziness.I've lifted,chopped,climbed,made love with joy,and taken my hangovers as a consequence,not a punishment.I did not want to surrender fierceness for a small gain in yardage.My wife married a man;I saw no reason why should inherit a baby.I knew that ten or twelve thousand miles driving a truck,alone and unattended,over every kind of road would be hard work,but to me it represented the antidote for the poison of the professional sick man.And in my own life I am not willing to trade quality for quantity.If this projected journey should prove too much than it was time to go anyway.I see too many men delay their exits with a sickly,slow reluctance to leave the stage.It's bad theatre,as well as bad living.I am very fortunate of having a wife who likes being a women,which means she likes men,not elderly babies.Although this last foundation for the trip was never discussed,I am sure she understood it..."
    (Penquin Books-1962 from 'travels with charley' pgs 19-20)
    Enjoy folks.Health and Happiness
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2024
    John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charlie is an as mazing combination of auto biography, travel and dog story. There is a reason it is a Classic. Plain great writing. Funny. Adventurous. Unforgettable.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Nick Neu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2025
    This is a great travel/adventure book that still speaks to societal issues today.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very special
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2024
    I loved reading this. Wonderful metaphors or similes (or whatever they are), great humour, a star in Charley, and a very powerful Part Four. Wouldn’t it be great if Steinbeck were around today to write about Trump’s America?!
  • lostlobo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Was ist Amerikas Pudels Kern?
    Reviewed in Germany on August 18, 2023
    Ein gefeierter, aber gesundheitlich angeschlagener Autor, der es noch einmal wissen will. Ein liebenswerter Pudel, der „Ftt“ sagen kann, als Reisebegleiter. Ein Truck mit dem gewissen Etwas. Frühe Erkenntnisse über das Unwesen der Jagd, die Umweltzerstörung, das grenzenlose Wachstum. Konfrontation mit dem Rassismus. Die Majestät der Sequoias. Avalon in Neuengland. Eine fast magische Begegnung mit zwei Kojoten der Mojave. Ein Buch der Extraklasse.

    John Steinbeck – kaum ein Name steht so für amerikanische Literatur mit sozialem Gewissen wie seiner. „Von Mäusen und Menschen“ (1937) oder „Früchte des Zorns“ (1939) – beide über die Schicksale von Wanderarbeitern – legen davon Zeugnis ab. Für zweiteres Werk erhielt er 1940 den Pulitzer Preis. 1962 wurde sein Gesamtwerk mit dem Literaturnobelpreis ausgezeichnet. Im selben Jahr erschien „Travels with Charley: In Search of America“ – mein Favorit aus Steinbecks Feder.

    1960, im politisch richtungsweisenden Wahljahr JFK vs. Richard Nixon, beschloss Steinbeck sich auf die Reise durch sein riesiges Heimatland zu machen, coast to coast, New York to California and back. Er hatte das Gefühl, als Schriftsteller den Gegenwartsbezug zu den USA verloren zu haben. Steinbeck fühlte sich in seinem künstlerischen Schaffen als „Krimineller“: “I, an American writer, writing about America, was working from memory… I had not felt the country for 25 years. I was writing of something I did not know about, and it seems to me that in a so-called writer this is criminal.“

    Für sein Vorhaben kaufte Steinbeck einen grün lackierten Pick-up-Truck mit speziellem Camper-Aufsatz in Weiß, ausgestattet mit Bett, Küche, WC und Stauraum. Dieses Vehikel taufte er Rocinante, nach dem Pferd Don Quijotes. Als einzigen Reisebegleiter wählte der gesu8ndheitlich lädierte Literat (Herzschwäche) seinen zehnjährigen französischen Pudel Charley, den er so schön als „Diplomaten mit dem Gebrüll eines Löwen“ charakterisiert.

    Schon bei der Beschreibung des Hundes hatte er mich als Leser für die Reise an Bord geholt: “He is the only dog I ever knew who could pronounce the consonant F.“ Wenn Charley ein dringendes Bedürfnis zum Ausdruck bringen möchte, artikulierte er dies mit „Ftt!“ Ab hier wäre ich am liebsten sofort zugestiegen.

    Los ging die US-Rundfahrt für den 58-Jährigen Steinbeck am 23.Sptember (wie es der Zufall so will, mein Geburtstag). Von seiner Hütte in Sag Harbor, auf Long Island, New York, steuerte er Rocinante gegen Nordosten, in die Neu-England-Staaten.

    Der dort für mich interessanteste Ort: Deer Isle, ein vorgelagertes Inselchen, wo südwestenglische Mundart gesprochen wurde, ganz unamerikanisch. “There is something about it that opens no door to words … This isle is like Avalon; it must disappear when you are not there.“

    Steinbeck wäre nicht Steinbeck gewesen, hätte er nicht auch Kontakt mit kanadischen Wanderarbeitern (Canucks) gesucht und seine Eindrücke festgehalten.

    Der Jagd an sich nicht abgeneigt, beschreibt Steinbeck mit Abneigung und Sarkasmus das alljährliche Gemetzel in den Wäldern Neuenglands, wenn die Jagdsaison anbricht: “I know there are (…) good and efficient hunters (…) but many more are over-weight gentlemen, primed with whisky and armed with high-powered rifles. They shoot at everything that moves or looks as though it might, and their success in killing one another may well prevent a population explosion.“

    Als Tierrechts-affiner Mensch brachte mich seine bitter-amüsante, pointierte Beschreibung zum Schmunzeln. Erneut hatte mich Steinbeck an Bord. Und er treibt den Spott gegen die Hobbykiller noch weiter: “If the casualties were limited to their own kind, there would be no problem, but the slaughter of cows, pigs, farmers, dogs, and highway signs make autumn a dangerous season in which to travel.“ Plus Anekdote: “The radios warned against carrying a white handkerchief. Too many hunters seeing a flash of white have taken it for the tail of a running deer…“

    Auch zur Umweltverschmutzung macht er sich seine Gedanken – und das 1960 (!): “The mountains of things we throw away are much greater than the things we use. (…) I wonder whether there will come a time when we can no longer afford our wastefulness – chemical wastes in the rivers, metal wastes everywhere, and atomic wastes buried deep in the earth or sunk in the sea.“

    Ein wenig spooky wird es, wenn er im Nirgendwo von New Hampshire in einem Motel ein- und auscheckt, ohne je eine Menschenseele darin gesehen zu haben: “The empty place disturbed me deeply, and come to think o fit, it still does.“

    Auf seiner Reise durch den nördlichen Mittelwesten nahm ich wenig mit, bis auf den Trivia-Punkt mit Fargo, North Dakota. Faltet man eine US-Landkarte genau in der Mitte, dann liegt diese Stadt genau im Knickpunkt.

    Schließlich geht‘s über den Missouri in die Badlands, ein unwirtliches Gebiet, das Steinbeck als landschaftliches „Werk bösartiger Kinder, als Platz gefallener Engel, als idealen Ort für eine Kolonie von Troglodyten oder Trollen“ beschreibt. Er fühlt sich darin unwohl und hat eine Hemmung, viel darüber zu schreiben. Außer, dass es einer der wenigen Orte wäre, wo „die Nacht freundlicher als der Tag“ sei.

    Angekommen in Montana lässt Steinbeck seiner Euphorie freien Lauf: “Montana has a spell on me (…) Of all the states it is my favorite and my love.“ Er versucht es erst gar nicht rational zu erklären: “It‘s difficult to analyze love when you’re in it.“

    Im Yellowstone Nationalpark wird der sonst so entspannte Charley zur Furie. Immer, wenn er draußen Bären sieht, bellt und tobt er in Rocinante: “Bears simply brought out the Hyde in my Jekyll-headed dog.“

    Weiter geht’s gen Westen über die Kontinentalscheide und Rocky Mountains nach Oregon. Charley bereitet große Sorgen wegen seiner Prostatitis. Steinbeck findet Ablenkung in den Sequoias, deren Majestät, Größe und Alter er bewundert: “They are not like any trees we know; they are ambassadors from another time. (…) We are very young and callow in a world that was old when we came into it.“ Mit Geduld bringt er Charley dazu, sein Geschäft an einer dieser Majestäten zu verrichten – und vergleicht ihn ironisch mit Galahad, der den Gral gesehen hatte.

    Zurück in Nordkalifornien, seiner Heimat (Steinbeck wurde in Salinas geboren), ist er enttäuscht über die fortschreitende Verbauung und die Bevölkerungszunahme und findet wieder Worte, die heute noch zeitgemäßer als 1960 klingen. Sogar die Wachstumsfanatiker müssen “gradually becoming aware that there must be a saturation point and the progress may be a progression toward strangulation“.

    Los Angeles lässt er links liegen und führt Rocinante Richtung Osten in die Mojave-Wüste. Dort kommt es zu einer Begegnung mit zwei Kojoten, die meine absolute Lieblingsstelle in Steinbecks Reisebericht ist – lediglich drei Seiten lang, aber äußerst einprägsam…

    In etwa 50 Metern Entfernung sieht er die beiden Tiere und beobachtet sie durch das Zielfernrohr seines Jagdgewehrs. Er ist nah daran, den Abzug zu betätigen, sieht das blutige Ergebnis bereits vor sich. Schließlich war ihm von klein auf eingeimpft worden, dass Kojoten „Ungeziefer“ sind, die getötet werden müssen. Sie zu eliminieren wäre ein „Dienst an der Öffentlichkeit“. Wieder und wieder hörte ich mich stumm schreien „Tu’s nicht!“. Die nächsten Zeilen würden entscheiden, ob ich Steinbeck weiterhin mögen oder ab nun verabscheuen würde…

    Katharsis! SPOILER! Es bleibt beim Mögen. Er verschont die Kojoten und stellt ihnen sogar zwei Dosen Hundefutter in die Wüste. Denn Steinback erinnert sich an ein ungeschriebenes Gesetz aus China, das besagt: Rettest du jemandem das Leben, bist du für dieses Lebewesen ab nun verantwortlich.

    Über Arizona und New Mexico geht die Reise weiter ostwärts ins weite und großspurige Texas: “Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession.“ Man liebt oder hasst es, laut Steinbeck. Mittelweg kaum begehbar.
    Vom Lone Star State führt die Reise in den Tiefen Süden der USA, dort wo der Rassismus anno 1960 sein ekelhaftes Gesicht emporreckte. Steinbeck ist angewidert und entsetzt: “The breath of fear was everywhere.“ und “I knew I was not wanted in the South.“ In New Orleans wird er Augenzeuge, wie ein Mob weißer, mittelständischer Hausfrauen (die sog. Cheerleaders) völlig hysterisch und hasserfüllt demonstrieren. Der Grund: die 6-jährige Ruby Bridges will als Schwarze eine bislang rein weiße Volksschule besuchen. Drei Bundesmarshals müssen die Kleine beschützen.

    Nach diesem Erlebnis ist Steinbeck mental ausgelaugt, nicht weiter aufnahmefähig. Ab Abingdon, Virginia, verarbeitet er nichts mehr, bis er zurück im Norden ist, in New Jersey und letztlich New York.
    Und? Hat der Autor John Steinbeck auf seiner 10.000-Meilen-Tour durch die USA das Wesen Amerikas ausfindig machen können. Fand er über Charley des Pudels Kern? Schwierig zu beantworten. Ich möchte meinen, er war selbst im Unklaren.

    Nur ein Topos kommt bei Steinbeck immer wieder vor, nämlich, dass seine Landsleute von einer Art Wanderlust beseelt sind. Ständig ist in ihnen der Wunsch nach dem Reisen, nach örtlicher Veränderung da: “…a burning desire to go, to move, to get under way, anyplace, away from any Here … I saw this look and heard this yearning everywhere in every state I visited.“ Steinbeck war überzeugt: “We do not take a trip, a trip takes us.“

    Fazit: Auch ich wurde während der Lektüre vom travel bug gebissen. Die Vorstellung, die USA von Küste zu Küste und von Nord nach Süd zu erkunden, begleitet von einem Hund und Tausenden Impressionen, übt romantische Magie aus. Und dieser Reisebericht Steinbecks ist das Zauberbuch dazu…
  • Nuria
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful travelogue through the States with Steinbeck’s eyes.
    Reviewed in Spain on January 22, 2019
    A Wonderful book to discover Steinbeck’s work. It’s a quite honest book. His point of view are quite accurate and objective. If you are familiar with The States, you’ll love Steinbeck’s journey. If you’re not, you’ll discover a different approach to the USA. Even if this travelogue was written in the early 60’s, his opinions and appreciations are quite updated with current times.
  • john plymin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Books
    Reviewed in Australia on January 31, 2024
    The items are as described and in perfect condition