Between May and October 1939, the American Nobel writer John Steinbeck wrote his novel "The Grapes of Wrath", which became one of the masterpieces of world literature in the 20th century, and described his experience in writing it that he had no choice but to be a good novel.
Within a few days, the independent publishing house SP Books in Paris is expected to release a copy of the manuscript that the American writer wrote in his own handwriting and said, "It must be the best thing I've ever written." It has been turned into several famous films.
The American novelist won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for his novel, which depicts the life of a poor family from Oklahoma who immigrated to California during the economic crisis in the United States in the 1930s.
The novel is exposed to models from the life of the working class, the destitute and the marginalized - of whom Steinbeck is one of them - and the events of the novel are similar to the writer's personal experience, as he was born in California and suffered from class injustice and worked in simple professions, such as caring for animals, picking fruits and construction work, and described his work in the novel saying: “I want to put shame on the forehead of greedy bastards” in the American Great Depression.
The novel - which depicts the epic human suffering of a poor family to the point of starvation and death on the emigration journey to the promised American dream - was subjected to a violent campaign accusing it of adopting communism and inciting the poor and workers to protest.
ancient manuscript
The manuscript began in large font, perhaps to facilitate the task of its writer and proofreader, though, as his writing became smaller and smaller as he approached the conclusion, and he appeared to be missing commas, capital letters, full points and quotation marks as he progressed, according to a report by the British Guardian newspaper.
There are hardly any signs of rewriting in the manuscript, though the original copy shows how the publisher Viking Press edited dozens of expressions and words, in an effort to make the novel less controversial.
The publisher also eliminated two sentences accusing the tenant farmers of socialism and Bolshevism, and expressions criticizing sacred property rights.
The novel "The Grapes of Wrath" tells the story of a miserable family in the time of the Great Depression (Al Jazeera)
The only manuscript of "The Grapes of Wrath" is preserved in the archives of the University of Virginia.
"Seeing the author's handwriting is getting closer to the source of inspiration," says Susan Schillinglau, a Steinbeck researcher, describing it as a "powerful moment."
The writing begins large and gets smaller and smaller as the text progresses, so the reader can sense Steinbeck's urgency, as he wanted to depict history as it was happening, and that's what he did.
The Academy concludes that the manuscript indicates the importance of the cause he devoted himself to, capturing the agony of immigrants in California in the late 1930s, and the persistence of his narrative.