Carol and John Steinbeck: Portrait of a Marriage

John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath is dedicated to his first wife, Carol Henning. Carol and John were married from 1930 to 1943, and as editor Shillinglaw (former director, Steinbeck Ctr., San Jose State Univ.; English, San Jose State Univ.; A Journey into Steinbeck's California) contends, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Grapes is their "shared creation." She argues that Carol was a much larger influence on the novelist's life and work than has been previously acknowledged. In this lively, absorbing biography, she describes John's and Carol's families, the impact of friends and travel, and the creative process that culminated in John's writing. Carol left few written records or letters, thus her life is portrayed here from previously unavailable scrapbooks, photographs, and poetry. John's letters and papers allow the author to document his thoughts and feelings about Carol during their time together. Shillinglaw supplements this material through interviews with family members, close friends, and acquaintances and successfully defends her argument that John depended on Carol.