{"id":4362,"date":"2017-10-10T20:05:01","date_gmt":"2017-10-10T18:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=4362"},"modified":"2020-05-30T22:37:12","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T20:37:12","slug":"logbuch-des-lebens-john-steinbeck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2017\/10\/the-log-from-the-sea-of-cortez-john-steinbeck\/","title":{"rendered":"The Log from the Sea of Cortez \u2022 John Steinbeck"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Each year, two new books are added to the mare Klassiker<\/em> series. And every time, I eagerly await what new gem will join this beautiful collection. I was absolutely delighted by The Toilers of the Sea<\/a> by Victor Hugo, which was released earlier this year. What lies behind John Steinbeck\u2019s The Log from the Sea of Cortez<\/em> is once again a very typical book in the style of the mare publishing house: a reading pleasure full of sea and nature, but also something with that special touch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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In early 1940, John Steinbeck, together with his friend Ed Ricketts, set out aboard a fishing boat to explore the coast of Baja California and its marine life. Ed Ricketts was a marine biologist, and Steinbeck shared his enthusiasm for the ocean\u2019s creatures. The two decided to spend six weeks exploring the Gulf of California. They cruised along the Gulf\u2019s coast in their sardine boat, stopping at several Mexican villages and conducting numerous collecting expeditions, during which they gathered, preserved, and classified countless marine species from the littoral zone\u2014the coastal area shaped by the tides.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At first, this might sound like a simple travelogue. But quite the opposite is true: Steinbeck delivers a wonderful account of the group\u2019s adventures. With humor and ease, he writes in a lively, highly readable, and entertaining style. He describes the circumstances, recounts interesting encounters, and reflects philosophically on God and the world, on land and people. Naturally, he also captures the beautiful landscape, the biodiversity, and the impressions gathered in what was then still a largely unexplored natural world. Today, Baja California is a popular and crowded travel destination. Back then, however, the Gulf region was poor, sparsely visited, and dotted with stretches of uninhabited wilderness. Steinbeck often writes about the people they met\u2014humble Mexicans or poor Indigenous villagers\u2014the small towns they stopped in, and, of course, their extensive collecting expeditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Just reading about the kind of equipment and the modest boat they took is an adventure in itself. This was by no means a serious scientific expedition. It was more of an adventure\u2014a dream fulfilled, an escape from reality, a retreat from the looming Second World War aboard a small vessel, and a plunge into the world of the sea and its creatures. Often, it feels like a mix between scientific exploration, adventure, and a holiday trip. Steinbeck emphasizes that for him, marine biology is more than the mere collection and classification of species. What matters is the larger picture: the individual animals, their habitat, the surrounding landscape, and the philosophical perspective on this ever-changing world. He conveys this viewpoint wonderfully throughout the narrative. He describes the collecting expeditions and the species they found, even listing them at times. Yet it never becomes tedious\u2014because suddenly Steinbeck digresses and gracefully ties it all back to humankind, to our thoughts, questioning things that appear in entirely different contexts but unexpectedly connect to this small world of the littoral zone. I found this especially enjoyable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“If the water is warm and there is food in abundance, many creatures lapse into a slothful, unproductive contentment. For man, at least, this is true. Strength, intelligence, and versatility arise only out of adversity. Tacitus suggested in his Annals<\/em> that the Roman armies should lure the Germanic tribes into a warm region with abundant food. This, he wrote, would destroy them most quickly. If this is true biologically, what then will become of the well-fed and comfortable inhabitants of a perfect future state?” (p. 249)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The entire book has a relaxed tone, and I really enjoy Steinbeck\u2019s worldview\u2014especially his ability not to take himself or his work too seriously. He often recounts humorous anecdotes, describing quite authentically how the small all-male crew enjoyed their fair share of cold beers, bonded as a group, developed quirks, and faced plenty of mishaps. Through these impressions\u2014combined with descriptions of the landscape, marine life, and small coastal villages\u2014a vivid picture of the journey emerges. This is precisely the kind of book that defines the mare<\/em> publishing house. Dangerous Work: Diary of an Arctic Adventure<\/a> left me with similar impressions. Or the illustrated volume Antarctic Wilderness<\/a>. After reading books like these, one feels as though one has taken a small journey oneself. Of course, it can\u2019t compare to actually setting out on such an expedition\u2014but for a short while, these books transport you into another, beautiful world: into a romantic, untouched nature. Without enduring any hardships, one can escape daily life completely and unwind. And these books awaken both the memory and the longing for the sea.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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John Steinbeck is one of the most successful American authors of the twentieth century. In 1940, he received the Pulitzer Prize for his socially critical novel The Grapes of Wrath<\/em> and in 1962 the Nobel Prize in Literature. Several of his works, such as East of Eden<\/em>, were adapted into films. He is undoubtedly one of the great and worthwhile authors in the literary ocean of the 20th century. Beyond his major works, this book is certainly a hidden gem and a true rediscovery. His social criticism echoes throughout its pages.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

“Giving can produce the same sense of superiority as hoarding, and philanthropy may be only a spiritual form of greed.” (p. 360)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The final sixty pages of the book are devoted to a eulogy for his friend Ed Ricketts, who had accompanied him on this journey and died in an accident in 1948. At first, this sudden ending and shift in context surprised me. Yet this section, too, maintains a casual tone, filled with anecdotes, humor, and humanity, painting a vivid portrait of a close and fascinating friend. Just like the travelogue itself, it was a pleasure to read\u2014even if it feels a bit oddly appended to the main text. There we also learn that another similar research trip had originally been planned\u2014and that Steinbeck and Ricketts were quite the hard-drinking fellows, which makes them all the more endearing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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As usual, this edition is of high quality\u2014with thread binding, ribbon bookmark, and a smooth linen cover. The endpapers include a map tracing the route Steinbeck traveled. I found this very helpful, as it gives the reader a general sense of where the little ship is at any given moment. Overall, everything here is just as excellent as one expects from the other volumes in the series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Conclusion:<\/strong> The Log from the Sea of Cortez<\/em> is an entertaining and lighthearted travel narrative that transports the reader into the wild and uncharted world of Baja California in the 1940s. Steinbeck skillfully weaves together descriptions of the landscape, the Mexican locals, the sea, and the myriad marine creatures they collected with philosophical reflections and a questioning view of the modern world. This book is an excursion into the realm of the sea\u2014an adventure and a journey through a maritime world\u2014exactly what I have come to expect and appreciate from the mare Klassiker<\/em> series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book information:<\/strong> The Log from the Sea of Cortez<\/em> \u2022 John Steinbeck \u2022 mare Verlag \u2022 274 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783866482593<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each year, two new books are added to the mare Klassiker series. And every time, I eagerly await what new gem will join this beautiful collection. I was absolutely delighted by The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo, which was released earlier this year. What lies behind John Steinbeck\u2019s The Log from the Sea … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “The Log from the Sea of Cortez \u2022 John Steinbeck”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Logbuch des Lebens \u2022 John Steinbeck - lesestunden","description":"In jedem Jahr erscheinen zwei neue B\u00fccher im Programm der mare Klassiker. Und jedes Mal warte ich gespannt, was mich diesmal in der Reihe der sehr schmucken Aus"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[10,20],"tags":[148,147],"class_list":["post-4362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classics","category-reviews","tag-henning-ahrens","tag-john-steinbeck"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/logbuch_des_lebens_steinbeck_beitrag_2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}