John Steinbeck and the Grapes of Wrath

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John Steinbeck's last novel was winter of our discontent in 1961, not considered by anybody to be his best work. He did receive the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 and that made him never write another novel during his life. The film had James Dean in it. That was, it was definitely his biggest thing they did in the 50s and he considers East of Eden to be his, his greatest work.

After 488 episodes, we finally return to ol' Johnny Steinbeck. East of Eden mixes autobiography, pastoral fiction, and Biblical allegory -- a cocktail that has dismayed critics and excited audiences for decades. We dig into what works in this sprawling story and what might leave some readers wanting more.

Our theme music was composed by Nick Lerangis.

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