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Travels with Charley in Search of America: (Centennial Edition) Paperback – Deckle Edge, February 5, 2002
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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.
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateFebruary 5, 2002
- Dimensions5.7 x 0.59 x 8.4 inches
- ISBN-100142000701
- ISBN-13978-0142000700
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Profound, sympathetic, often angry . . . an honest moving book by one of our great writers.” The San Francisco Examiner
“This is superior Steinbecka 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
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
- Best Sellers Rank: #747,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,478 in Travelogues & Travel Essays
- #3,394 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies
- #8,010 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

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
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book enjoyable and worth reading. They praise the writing quality as excellent, easy to read, and engaging. Readers appreciate Steinbeck's musings about life and the human condition. They describe the journey as fascinating and wonderful. The book is described as heartwarming and poignant, with beautiful descriptions and empathy for his fellow man.
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Customers find the book enjoyable and worth reading. They describe it as an adventurous road trip with Steinbeck and his dog. The book provides readers with a unique opportunity to get to know the author. Readers appreciate the creative descriptions of the landscape and people.
"...This was a moment that stuck out to me, because I think it is well related to my project...." Read more
"Steinbeck’s ability to create a sense of place and tell an entertaining story has always impressed me...." Read more
"...I consider this to be one of the great passages in modern fiction. THE GIST OF LIFE:..." Read more
"...It is a relatively short book that perhaps provides the reader the best opportunity to get to know the person that was John Steinbeck...." Read more
Customers find the writing engaging and easy to read. They praise Steinbeck's skillful use of language and his ability to paint vivid pictures. The prose is described as descriptive, compared to Twain and Hemingway. Overall, readers describe the book as an enjoyable read.
"...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
"...This edition comes with a lengthy introduction by a biographer, Jay Parini...." Read more
"...before, even though I know he's considered one of the great American writers of all time...." Read more
"I loved this book. I don't know why Steinbeck's gentle prose and sharp wit surprised me so much--perhaps because The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and..." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's insights into human nature, local sounds, and mobility. They find the book a collection of personal truths about life and the human condition. Readers say it offers insights about Americans and is a great commentary on a pivotal time in American history.
"...This is why Travels With Charley is a perfect glimpse into our nation’s past and the time period of when this book was written...." Read more
"...And, he shows you his love of dogs, animals, and nature." Read more
"...Travels with Charley, provided an intimate view and insightful interpretation of human nature. Here’s one example...." Read more
"...this is the book that introduced me to his writing, so it has great significance to me." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it a fascinating journey and a wonderful travelogue. The author is honest about the downsides of traveling and his own misperceptions about areas. Overall, readers describe it as an entertaining and informative read.
"...This book fits in very well to my project, because of the theme of travel and exploring the unseen America...." Read more
"...clothes on the road and cooking beans on a camp stove were transporting and evocative. It alternated between poignant and funny...." Read more
"...It is a fantastic book as a travel memoir that really gives the reader a glimpse into the person that was John Steinbeck...." Read more
"...This is a wonderful suite of memories about travel, what it means to be a traveler, and the fluid ways topics emerge while on the road." Read more
Customers find the book heartwarming and poignant. They say it's engrossing, with personal moments and themes that resonate on many levels. The writing is described as flawless, evoking many emotions and touching on many different levels. Readers praise Steinbeck for being compassionate and alive, with his writing full of images and fun.
"...Steinbeck keeps this book interesting and gives the reader a sense that they are actually on the adventure with him." 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
"...He really does a fantastic job of showing the love that most people have for their dogs...." Read more
"...a cross-section of the country, good and bad, big themes and personal moments, in what is a relatively slim book...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's writing style. They find it full of humor, beautiful descriptions, and empathy for others. The writing is easy to read, graceful, and positive. Readers appreciate the thoughtful and engaging view of the U.S. on a road trip.
"...Steinbeck does a wonderful job of detailing the trip to include his thoughts on the people in various areas of the country, how the country has..." Read more
"...entertaining Steinbeck novel that reveals the mans genius, brilliance and compassion...." Read more
"...But his generalizations are not dated, and his precise rendering of individuals and scenes, particularly the hate-spewing "Cheerleaders" who met..." Read more
"...At times he is reporting. The best parts are his artful reflections masterfully set to words." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find the author's sense of humor relatable and the prose easy to read. The experiences are truthful, playful, and at times raw. Readers describe the book as entertaining and warm.
"...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
"Classic 1st person memoir - most interesting writing of any I have read, like a more sane and subtle travel diary than Keroac's...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book. They find it fresh and interesting even though it was written in 1960. The generalizations are not dated, and the precise rendering of individuals is still accurate. Many readers say it brings back memories and keeps them engaged.
"...If anything, it brought many memories of my great-grandparents and their travels back and forth from NY to Florida with their 1960's Airstream..." Read more
"...But his generalizations are not dated, and his precise rendering of individuals and scenes, particularly the hate-spewing "Cheerleaders" who met..." Read more
"...Since then, it has been a fond memory and provided inspiration for my own road trips...." Read more
"appears somewhat aged with an inscription on the front page but it is okay otherwise." Read more
Reviews with images
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Travel stories
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2019John Steinbeck, a Nobel prize winner, decided in 1960 that he could no longer continue writing books about the country, before he went out to see the whole thing for himself. He then decided that he would complete a ten thousand mile long journey across the United States in search of rediscovering America. In order to complete this journey Steinbeck decided to build a camper van to make sure that his journey would remain comfortable and run smoothly. He named his van named Rocinante after an author that he admires. Steinbeck would have to leave the safe comfort of his home and the environment that he is used to. He was able to complete the journey with his trustee poodle Charley. They encountered several obstacles along the way but they together were able to overcome the challenges that were presented before them.
In the beginning, Steinbeck didn’t necessarily set out with the intention of publishing his journey across the United States. His original plan was to simply take notes over what he had seen and maybe write about it in the future. In the very beginning of the book, there was a little boy who used to live across the street. He wanted nothing more than to accompany Steinbeck on his journey in rediscovering America. This was a moment that stuck out to me, because I think it is well related to my project. This little boy represents the part of us inside that wants to drop everything and set out across the United States. The boy is not able to come however, because he has other obligations that are necessary in New York. In a way I think this represents most people who would love to pursue their passion, but because of other obligations, are not able to in their lifetime.
In this book, Steinbeck hits the road with only his poodle. Because of this he spends much of his time alone. This seems to be good for him in a way. Over the course of the book, the dialogue with his dog Charley changes. Charley becomes almost a best friend to Steinbeck, and the conversations between the two become more complex and full length conversations. Steinbeck often lacks depth in conversations with the strangers that he meets along the journey. This makes one of the overarching themes of the text, loneliness and isolation.
Another theme that is found throughout the text is change. The only constant that remains throughout the text is Rocinante and Charley. The reader can experience the journey through the eyes of the eyes of the adventurer. Through this, we see the small and minute changes that there are regionally, to the drastic changes such as the landscape across the nation. One of these changes that Steinbeck addresses is the local dialect. He worries that because of nation wide communication, we are losing our regional uniqueness. This is why Travels With Charley is a perfect glimpse into our nation’s past and the time period of when this book was written. This ties into my “this” project, because I am exploring the ways that Americans from across the nation express their american creed in ways that are unique and different.
This book fits in very well to my project, because of the theme of travel and exploring the unseen America. When the book starts with Steinbeck having the urge to pick up and go, this gave me the idea that most Americans have the urge to explore. When Steinbeck was talking about all of the differences in our nation, this also made me realize how similar we are as a whole. I think I can look into this more to see what the American creed is, that is holding everyone together.
I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I would say this book would be perfect for anybody who is curious about and wants to learn more about American travel. Anybody who has a sense of adventure and would like to explore this through the eyes of someone who has personal experience in travel, would love to read this book. Steinbeck keeps this book interesting and gives the reader a sense that they are actually on the adventure with him.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2025Steinbeck has the ability to put you in the cab of the truck with him and Charley. You are there seeing and experiencing the trip with him. He makes you question the strength of your convictions, values, and compassion for others. And, he shows you his love of dogs, animals, and nature.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021Steinbeck’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.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024It'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.
Top reviews from other countries
- Nick NeuReviewed in Canada on January 6, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
This is a great travel/adventure book that still speaks to societal issues today.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Very special
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?!
-
lostloboReviewed in Germany on August 18, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Was ist Amerikas Pudels Kern?
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…
- NuriaReviewed in Spain on January 22, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful travelogue through the States with Steinbeck’s eyes.
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 plyminReviewed in Australia on January 31, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Books
The items are as described and in perfect condition