John Ernst Steinbeck was an American author. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath. His books depict a realistic and tender image of his childhood and life, primarily in Monterrey, California. John Steinbeck's art and career follow a typically American arc of the mid-twentieth century. The early hard-scrabble years of unadulterated talent giving creative and dignified voice to the downtrodden. The rise to iconic status as the conscience of a new mainstream. And an alcohol-facilitated decline into alienating self-indulgence and general crankiness. Cannery Row is set during the Great Depression in Monterey, California, on a street lined with sardine canneries that is known as Cannery Row. Published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is: both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. Mack and his friends are trying to do something nice for their friend Doc, who has been good to them without asking for a reward. Mack hits on the idea that they should throw a thank-you party, and the entire community quickly becomes involved. Unfortunately, the party rages out of control, and Doc's lab and home are ruined, and so is Doc's mood. In an effort to return to Doc's good graces, Mack and the boys decide to throw another party but make it work this time. Listen online to free English audiobook "Cannery Row” on our website to experience John Steinbeck's novel.
