Cannery Row was Steinbeck’s ninth novel and his first postwar book; it was written while the author lived in his family’s cottage in Pacific Grove, California, after serving as a journalistic correspondent in Europe during the Second World War. During this time of recuperation from his wartime experiences, Steinbeck spent long hours exploring the nearby port of Monterey, especially the rundown district of sardine canneries known by the novel’s title. This area was where Steinbeck’s good friend, Edward Flanders Ricketts, ran a biological supply company and a lab that became the center for meetings and discussion / debate by a group of liberal thinkers that included Joseph Campbell, Ella Winter, Lincoln Steffens and John C…
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Citation: Meyer, Michael J.. "Cannery Row". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 August 2007 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6096, accessed 25 November 2024.]
