It was presented as a true account of a trip around America by John Steinbeck, accompanied by his poodle. It was a best-seller, and has moved into that vague status of modern classic.
But it turns out it wasn't a true account. Bill Steigerwald, a journalist, has a written rather revealing article at Reason:
Using clues from the book, biographies of Steinbeck, letters Steinbeck wrote from the road, newspaper articles, and the first draft of the Charley manuscript, I built a time-and-place line for Steinbeck’s trip from September 23, 1960, to December 5, 1960. The more I learned about Steinbeck’s actual journey, the less it resembled the one he described.What Steinbeck did was turn a boring trip into an interesting and inspiring one. He turned it into a novel. But he claimed it as true.
Perhaps he figured
he'd gather more boodle
by claiming as true
his tale of the poodle.
I had that book with me when I hitchhiked across the country eleven years ago.
ReplyDeleteI've heard nothing but praise for it since, but at the time it rang false. You can hear the typewriter clickety-clack as the author relays one unlikely quip after another.
Boo development! Boo maps! Boo interstates! There are your Cliff's Notes.
Kerouac's "On the Road," while presented as a novel, conveys infinitely more truth.
Everyone believes Kerouac. He lived that story, even if he changed some names!
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