He has the bulldog tenacity, bristling ego, single-minded purpose, and occasional mean streak that makes such commentators formidible opponents. Instead of providing a biographical and literary context for understanding Steinbeck’s wildly popular but frequently flawed and clunky book, Steigerwald, a sort of Sean Hannity of culture reporters, leaped to the offensive.

Tarian refusal to bow to any kind of elitist pretensions. The reason, I think, is the author’s self-important hectoring tone, hisįinger-wagging criticism, his beleagured sense of being duped, and his liber . Related books in recent years, a lightning rod for all manner of personal, politi-Ĭal, and lit-crit dustups, and has been a book many informed readers have loved to hate. Without Steigerwald’s sleuthing, who would have known of these venues? Further, we might never have discovered how many of the events, places, and persons Steinbeck might have made up after the fact without Steigerwald’s determined snooping.ĭeMott’s review was tough on me but fair and balanced:īut ‘Dogging Steinbeck’ has become one of our most maligned Steinbeck. In-law’s cattle ranch near Clarendon, Texas. Westgate Motel in Beach, North Dakota, and wife Elaine’s former brother. drive-Ībout, among them Eleanor Brace’s spectacular house in Deer Isle, Maine, the Many of the physical places that Steinbeck visited on his extended U.S. Thought to undertake, and in the process he located (and photographed)

Given where credit belongs, for Steigerwald’s was an endeavor no one else I applaud his overall pluck, endurance, sleuthing efforts, and the doggedĭetective work involved in tracing the elder writer’s route. His presence cannot be denied and refuses to go away, which of course has put many well-meaning commentators on the defensive. Yet how can I complain about his praise for my doggedness and my book’s impact on the field of Steinbeck studies? Last fall, however, major Steinbeck scholar and nice guy Robert DeMott reviewed ‘Dogging Steinbeck’ and assessed the impact of my literary detective work for Steinbeck Review - which finally got around to reviewing my 2012 book.ĭeMott was fair-minded but tough on me for my anti-scholarly ways and what he called my ‘hectoring tone.’ On my 11,270 mile road trip I stopped on what’s left of old Route 66 for a selfie.

My travels with charley