A discovery on Facebook
One of the things that has crossed my path this week is this marvel that I found in a Facebook group: a letter from the acclaimed writer John Steinbeck to the immortal Marilyn Monroe. I must say that what caught my attention is that I had no idea about this letter, or any kind of relationship between these two very different public figures. And what a delightful find it was!
Two iconic figures
Neither of our characters needs much introduction, I suppose. We all know Marilyn, and John Steinbeck's name should be familiar to you.
Marilyn Monroe, always fascinating
Marilyn, the muse of Hollywood who dazzled generations while battling her own demons beyond her public image. Marilyn, always complex and fascinating.
Steinbeck's literary genius
John Steinbeck, one of the giants of 20th century literature. With masterful prose and renowned works such as The grapes of wrath and Of mice and men, Steinbeck tackles profound social and human themes with a hawk's eye and incisive wit.
What I personally most admire about Steinbeck is his ability to explore the human condition and give voice to the marginalized and the oppressed. A touchstone in literary history.
The letter
Here is the full text of the letter, and you can't tell me it's not a pleasure to get a glimpse into a mind of this caliber... Steinbeck's humor is unmatched!
Text of the letter:
In my whole experience I have never known anyone to ask for an autograph of himself. It is always for a child or an ancient aunt, which gets very tiresome, as you know better than I. It is therefore, with a certain nausea that I tell you that I have a nephew in-law who lives in Austin, Texas, whose name is Jon Atkinson. He has his foot in the door of puberty, but that is only one of his problems. You are the other.
John Steinbeck | Letter to Marilyn Monroe, April 28, 1955
I know that you are not made of celestial ether, but he doesn’t. A suggestion that you have normal functions would shock him deeply and I’m not going to be the one to tell him.
On a recent trip to Texas, my wife made the fatal error of telling Jon that I had met you. He doesn’t really believe it, but his respect for me has gone up even for lying about it.
Now, I get asked for all kind of silly favors, so I have no hesitation in asking one of you. Would you send him, in my care, a picture of yourself, perhaps in pensive, girlish mood, inscribed to him by name and indicating that you are aware of his existence. He is already your slave. This would make him mine.
If you will do this, I will send you a guest key to the ladies’ entrance of Fort Knox and, furthermore, I will like you very much.
To me, this is another example of how the world is full of stories. It's all stories. And I'm left with many open questions: Did Marilyn respond to the letter? How would she react to it? And, in case she did in fact agree to Steinbeck's request and sent the photo to his nephew, can you imagine the kid's face when he received it??
I love it. 💜
More about Steinbeck
While looking for information about this letter, I found a great article with excerpts from other letters by Steinbeck, like this one, where the writer uses the old excuse of "the dog ate my homework."
Who would have told me that my former students used the same excuses as the literary greats. How unjust I've been to them, poor things. .
Minor tragedy stalked. I don’t know whether I told you. My setter pup, left alone one night, made confetti of about half of my book [Of Mice and Men]. Two months work to do over again. It sets me back. There was no other draft. I was pretty mad but the poor little fellow may have been acting critically. I didn’t want to ruin a good dog for a ms. I’m not sure it is good at all. He only got an ordinary spanking with his punishment flyswatter. But there’s the work to do over from the start.
John Steinbeck | Letter to his publisher Elizabeth Otis, 27 May 1936
Recommended resources
In the article I mentioned above, the author talks about a book that's probably worth it if you like Steinbeck: Steinbeck: A Life in Letters.
In case the author's style has piqued your curiosity.
Videos about The Grapes of Wrath
Oh, and, in case you want to know a little more about one of his masterpieces, here are some very interesting videos.
This one tells, in English (with Spanish subtitles), the story of the book, how it was received, and also the difficulties Steinbeck faced because of the book (including its banning in many places):
And this gives us a summary of less than 3 minutes in Spanish of the film, while critically relating Steinbeck's theme to immigration today:
Even The Simpsons covered it! 😁
More of Steinbeck
And if you have been left wanting more, here is the summary of Of mice and men, in Spanish and in English.
I hope you enjoyed this article about the fascinating letter and the brilliant writer John Steinbeck. Did you know John Steinbeck, or any of his works? What do you think of his letters?
A hug, and have a good afternoon.
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