Mad at the World: A Life of John Steinbeck - William Souder Audiobook

Written by William Souder
Read by David Colacci
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc.
Release date: November 10, 2020
Duration: 15:42:14

The first full-length biography of the Nobel laureate to appear in a quarter century, Mad at the World illuminates what has made the work of John Steinbeck an enduring part of the literary canon: his capacity for empathy.

Angered by the plight of the Dust Bowl migrants who were starving even as they toiled to harvest California’s limitless bounty and appalled by the country’s refusal to recognize the humanity common to all of its citizens, Steinbeck took a stand against social injustice-paradoxically given his inherent misanthropy. A man by turns quick-tempered, compassionate, and ultimately brilliant, Steinbeck could be a difficult person to like.

Obsessed with privacy, he was mistrustful of people. Next to writing, his favorite things were drinking and womanizing and getting married, which he did three times. And while he claimed indifference about success, his mid-career books and movie deals made him a lot of money. And yet Steinbeck also took aim at the corrosiveness of power, the perils of income inequality, and the urgency of ecological collapse. Steinbeck remains our great social realist novelist, the writer who gave the dispossessed and the disenfranchised a voice in American life and letters.

Eloquent, nuanced, and deeply researched, Mad at the World captures the full measure of the man and his work.

“John Steinbeck is among America’s premier social realist authors. His books are classics. Yet many people do not know him beyond his literary canon. This audiobook seeks to remedy that. It explores the author’s often-troubled life as well as his creative genius. David Colacci offers an able and consistent narration. His tone, while not conversational, is easy on the ears and keeps the narrative flowing nicely. His pauses are strategic, allowing listeners to take in important points before going on. He also varies his tone to fit the material. The book will break little new ground for listeners well acquainted with Steinbeck’s life, but for the rest of us, listening will prove enlightening.” © AudioFile 2020